Wish
by Ryououki
Summary: After making a wish upon a shooting star Kaorin just might get her wish. Some wishes come true while others only bring pain. Fate works in mysterious ways, but is is smiling upon the young woman, or is it just mocking her?
1. Prologue

A/N: My third story and the first one that will contain any sort of romance. After pondering between two very different scenarios I decided upon this one. Once this is complete I may start on the other one. Please note that this is very short because it is only the prologue, not an actual chapter. The chapters will be at least twice as long as this.

* * *

On a clear moonless night Kaorin could be seen pursuing one of her favorite hobbies: stargazing. Standing in her small yard she was staring at a starry sky through a pair of binoculars. Here in a lazy suburb the light pollution wasn't too bad, although Kaorin would have preferred to be in a park where there was almost no light pollution at all. Removing the binoculars from her eyes Kaorin looked to the sky in hopes of finding something new to marvel at. As if the gods were responding to her desires a familiar shimmering light caught the girl's eye. "A shooting star!" she exclaimed with wonder in her voice.

Reflexively closing her eyes she made the same wish she had made each time ever since entering high school. After repeating the wish three times in her head she opened her eyes and to her delight the shimmering light remained. A big smile crossed the girls face as she continued to watch the sight. She had never been able to complete the mantra before and it excited her to no end. Her smile quickly faded, however, as she suddenly realized something terrifying. Letting out a shriek Kaorin quickly dove away and covered her head as the falling rock crashed into the ground where she had been standing.

After being littered with tiny debris thrown up by the impact Kaorin shakily climbed to her feet and examined the tiny pit left by the meteorite. Another large grin crossed her face as she realized a meteorite had actually just landed in her yard. "The astronomy club will love this," Kaorin marveled as she reached into the pit and pulled out the still hot rock.

"What's going on out here!" Kaorin's mother demanded as she exited the house. "I heard screaming and a crash!"

"A meteor almost hit me!" Kaorin excitedly informed her mother as she tossed the hot meteorite from one hand to the other to keep from burning herself.

"Are you all right?" her mother asked as she ran up to her daughter and checked her over.

"I'm fine," Kaorin assured her mother. "Look," she urged as she handed her mother the warm meteorite.

Her mother was clearly unimpressed. "It's just a chunk of metal," she said dismissively as she handed it back to her daughter.

Unaffected by her mother's lack of enthusiasm Kaorin took back the rock with a silly smile still plastered on her face. "Iron meteorites are some of the rarest!" she informed her mother as she continued to stare in awe at the object in her hands.

Letting out a sigh at her daughter's antics she ordered her back inside. "You have school tomorrow and I'll bet you haven't even started on your homework," Kaorin's mother scolded.

"I already did my homework," Kaorin assured her mother as she trudged back inside with her treasure in hand. Once she reached her room she gently placed the prized object on her dresser. "You owe me a wish!" she teasingly informed the inanimate object. Finally getting a good look at it she was able to see that it was baseball sized and surprisingly round, as most meteorites were oddly shaped. "The astronomy club is going to love you!" she exclaimed after doting over the object a little longer.

Finally pulling herself away from her newfound treasure Kaorin went about her normal nightly routine. After bathing, getting into her pajamas, and brushing her teeth the girl turned out her lights and crawled into bed. "Maybe my wish really will come true," Kaorin fantasized. "I really do wish Sakaki-san would like me," she mumbled to herself as she rolled over and fell into slumber. Unseen by anyone, the meteorite on her dresser glowed a soft pink as Kaorin made her wish before fading back into an ordinary looking rock.

-Next Time-

Being rudely ripped from her slumber by a most unpleasant sound Kaorin angrily shut off her alarm. Something was amiss, but Kaorin was too sleepy to care as she followed her morning routine. Something was off as she brushed her hair, something wasn't right as she changed into her school uniform, and there was just something not right all morning. "Maybe I'm coming down with something," Kaorin mumbled as she sat down to eat breakfast. Although she got a strange look or two from her mother she still couldn't find out just what was wrong as she walked out the door with her bag. As she walked toward the street she noticed the pit left by the meteorite. "I almost forgot!" Kaorin scolded herself as she made her way back into her house and to her room. As she reached for the treasured object she noticed her reflection in the mirror. She blinked a couple of times not quite believing her eyes before she let out a scream.

* * *

A/N: "Next Time" refers to the first scene of the next chapter and what follows is the first paragraph of Chapter One. This is meant as a teaser to the next chapter much like the ones that usually follow the credits in many television programs. In the future I may go with a summary instead of the first paragraph or even do away with the experimental feature, but for now this just fits so well. Also different in this story I've added in the Japanese suffixes to better illustrate the relationships between the characters. As with the teaser I may do away with this if it is unfavorable to my readers. All feedback on these matters is appreciated. This story will progress forward slowly as I am still working on Encroaching Darkness primarily, but I should have the first chapter up soon. Finally, a small question I have that maybe a greater fan than I can answer. What is Kaorin's mother's name and what is Kaorin's family name? I remember somewhere reading that Kaorin's family name being Aida, but I don't know for certain. Futhermore I still don't know of Kagura and Sakaki's given names, although I'm fairly sure that they were never mentioned anywhere.


	2. Transformation

A/N: Here is chapter one, as promised. Following Sensei's instruction, I've gone ahead with Kaorin's family name being Aida and I will continue to use proper suffixes. I do hope you enjoy.

* * *

Being rudely ripped from her slumber by a most unpleasant sound Kaorin angrily shut off her alarm. Something was amiss, but Kaorin was too sleepy to care as she followed her morning routine. Something was off as she brushed her hair, something wasn't right as she changed into her school uniform, and there was just something not right all morning. "Maybe I'm coming down with something," Kaorin mumbled as she sat down to eat breakfast. Although she got a strange look or two from her mother she still couldn't find out just what was wrong as she walked out the door with her bag. As she walked toward the street she noticed the pit left by the meteorite. "I almost forgot!" Kaorin scolded herself as she made her way back into her house and to her room. As she reached for the treasured object she noticed her reflection in the mirror. She blinked a couple of times not quite believing her eyes before she let out a scream.

"Is everything okay?" Kaorin's mother asked as she burst into her daughter's room.

"My-My ears!" Kaorin choked out as her hands hovered around two fuzzy, triangular cat ears that had appeared on her head.

"I didn't think the school would let you wear that, you should take them off," her mother dismissively ordered.

"They're _real_!" Kaorin insisted, "I can even make them move!" She then demonstrated by twitching her ears about.

Giving a skeptical look her mother approached and rubbed the warm, fuzzy ears that had appeared on her daughter's head. "They're so cute!" she exclaimed.

"This isn't funny!" Kaorin protested, "I can't go to school like this!"

"Is that real too?" her mother questioned as she pointed.

Following her mother's finger she found a tail poking out from under her skirt. "Uwaa! Where did that come from?" She then grabbed her tail and observed how she could feel it in both her hands and the new sensation of having something touch her tail. "Mama, what am I supposed to do?" Kaorin frantically asked.

"You're supposed to go to class," Her mother informed her, "You're going to be late."

"I _can't_ go like _this_!" Kaorin protested.

"I'll call your doctor," Kaorin's mother assured her, "But you still have to go to school. You're not sick." Kaorin tried to continue to protest, but her mother insisted that she still go to school. She begrudgingly obliged and left her home, this time remembering to bring the small iron rock.

* * *

Never before had Kaorin ever considered ditching school, but surely her new look would only mean ridicule for her. Her mother thought that they were fake so Kaorin toyed with the idea of playing them off as such. But that opened up even more problems as the teachers would scold her and only grade school kids wore such things. Either way she was bound to be teased. "Is it better to be teased for being weird and childish or for being a freak?" her mind wondered as she approached the school. She was already getting looks from other students who were making their way to school. As the thought of Sakaki teasing her crossed her mind Kaorin decided that today she wouldn't go to school. Quickly turning on her heels she bumped into someone and fell onto her backside.

"S-Sorry!" she apologized as she looked up to see Chihiro.

"I thought that was you," Chihiro greeted Kaorin as she offered her hand to help her friend up. "What's up with the catgirl outfit?" she asked as she pulled Kaorin to her feet.

Kaorin pulled her friend to the side. "It's not an outfit," she whispered to her friend, "They're real!"

"No way," Chihiro said disbelievingly as she reached out and tugged on Kaorin's ears. Chihiro quickly discovered that they were warm, fuzzy, and, most importantly, they were attached. "They _are_ real!" she exclaimed as Kaorin rubbed her sore ears with a rather noticeable blush across her cheeks.

"Not so loud," Kaorin begged as a few people stopped to stare.

Chihiro then eyed Kaorin's tail. "Is the tail…"

"Yes!" Kaorin interrupted her as her blush only continued to grow.

Chihiro was flabbergasted. "H-How…I mean why…what the hell?"

"I don't know!" Kaorin cried out, "I don't know how or why this happened!"

The familiar chime of the school bell interrupted the duo. "Oh no!" Chihiro whined, "We're late!" She then grabbed Kaorin by the arm and dragged her off to the front gate.

* * *

Lucky for the tardy duo while they were technically late they still made it to class before Yukari so they wouldn't be counted as such. Kaorin did her best to get to her seat without attracting attention to herself, but she felt as though that had failed miserably as it seemed that every eye was on her. Kaorin was red faced and on the verge of tears when Yukari angrily burst into the room. "Sit down!" she barked before taking her place at the front of class and complaining about…something. Yukari quickly spied something to take her anger out on. "Kaorin! Take those off!" she angrily shouted as she pointed at the poor girl.

Kaorin slowly stood up and did her best not to let her emotion show in her voice. "I-I'm not wearing anything," she protested.

"This," Yukari angrily said as she pointed to the top of her head, "Take it off!"

"They're real, I can't take them off!" Kaorin shouted back, this time her voice cracking.

Getting fed up, Yukari marched up to Kaorin and tried to violently rip the cat ears off of Kaorin's head. Kaorin let out a shriek as she put her hands over her ears. Yukari looked down at her hands and found bits of hair and blood from Kaorin's ears. "They-They are real!" she said as she looked disbelievingly at the poor girl. She then looked back to her hands. "Umm…maybe you should go to the nurse," Yukari offered apologetically. Having an excuse the now crying girl dashed out of the classroom. "I'm going to go wash my hands," Yukari mumbled as she left the classroom of stunned students.

"Did you see that?" Tomo asked Yomi as she walked up to her desk. "Do you think they were really real?"

"I don't know," Yomi admitted, "but it defiantly looks like Yukari-sensei went a little too far this time."

"Chiyo-chan," Osaka prodded, "How did Kaorin grow cat ears and a tail?"

Chiyo shook her head. "I didn't think it was possible," Chiyo informed Osaka, "It's really strange."

"I think I'd like cat ears," Osaka mused, "I bet she could hear really well."

"You'd have to talk to her," Chiyo said as she looked to Kaorin's empty desk.

Sakaki had noticed Kaorin's new look the second she stepped through the door. She had also noticed that the ears and tail moved on their own, so they had to be real. Sakaki felt sorry for the girl. "It must really hurt," she wondered. However it didn't take long for the tall girl's train of thought to derail and she was soon imagining herself with cat ears and a tail.

* * *

"You should be…umm…unhurt," the nurse assured Kaorin. "I mean it probably hurt…really hurt, but there is no…umm…damage," the nurse said with an uneasy smile.

"Do you know what could have caused this?" Kaorin questioned as she rubbed her sore ears.

"Umm…it's pretty clear that Yukari-sensei pulling on them was the problem," the nurse nervously answered her.

"That's not what I meant!" Kaorin pleaded with the nurse. "I woke up this morning and I had these ears and this tail," she explained, "How did this happen?"

"I-I…umm…I'm not a doctor," the nurse nervously replied, "I'm fairly certain it's completely impossible though."

"B-But I'm sitting right here!" Kaorin retorted.

"You…You're okay," the nurse assured her, "You should probably go back to class."

"Do…Do I have to?" Kaorin asked, "Can I please stay here?"

"Yes, you really should get back to class," the nurse insisted. "Now you just…hurry up and get back to learning," the nurse said with a fake smile as she gave Kaorin a wide breadth.

* * *

Kaorin slowly trudged back to her familiar classroom. She approached the door, but was reluctant to enter as she heard Yukari teaching. Summoning all of her courage she slowly opened the door to see everyone staring at her. Rapidly growing unnerved under the whispers and looks of the class and even her teacher, Kaorin quickly made her way to her desk. She found no relief there, however, as instead of going back to teaching Yukari kept staring at her along with the rest of the class. Just as Kaorin felt as though she would break Yukari finally came to and resumed her lesson and much to Kaorin's relief most of the class shifted their attention to Yukari. At least one person, however, continued to stare at her.

"I wonder how she got them," Sakaki wondered as she stared at Kaorin's ears and tail with a slight blush across her cheeks. "They're so cute," her mind wandered, "Maybe if I asked her I could get them." Making up her mind Sakaki promised herself that she would talk to Kaorin whenever she got a chance. That chance came sooner than expected as the bell rang, signaling the teachers to rotate. As Yukari bolted from the room Sakaki got up and made a beeline for Kaorin, but was unable to make it to her before a couple of boys.

"Hey Aida-san," the first boy said with his sweetest voice, "I was wondering if you were doing anything this weekend." He asked with his most innocent face. "Maybe we could catch a movie or something."

"Don't bother with this loser!" the second boy claimed as he pushed the first boy away. "Come on, I can take you to the shopping center." He then put on a sexy smile. "And then maybe later I can take you to a love hotel and show you a real good time," he coaxed.

This was a scenario Kaorin had never anticipated and it was just as bad as being teased, maybe even worse! She could do nothing but stare stupidly at the boys trying to get in her pants. "I-I-I…"

"Excuse me," Sakaki said to the boys and even though she was just trying to be polite she somehow managed to scare them away with the determined look on her face.

"Way to get rid of those creeps, Sakaki-chan!" Tomo praised as she showed up at Kaorin's desk alongside Yomi.

"If they are bothering you then you need to stand up for yourself," Yomi informed a still flabbergasted Kaorin. "Give guys like that any slack and you could end up in a pinch."

"Hey Kaorin," Osaka said as she approached with Chiyo. "With those can you hear a lot better?"

Poor Kaorin was overwhelmed as even Kagura and Chihiro came to see how the girl was faring. "I-I actually can't hear as well," she said answering Osaka's question.

"I thought animals were supposed to have better hearing than humans," Tomo dumbly responded.

"I-I'm not an animal!" Kaorin emotionally yelled at Tomo as tears once more threatened to fall.

"Your ears are," Tomo pointed out.

"Baka!" Yomi scolded as she hit Tomo. She went to apologize for her friend only to be pushed away as a now crying Kaorin pushed her way through and ran out of the room. "You really are an idiot," Yomi scolded as the group dispersed.

"I didn't get to talk to her," Sakaki silently lamented. "Next time," she promised herself as she stared at the still wide-open door Kaorin exited through. "I hope she is okay."

* * *

Sakaki's chance never presented itself. Kaorin never came back to class and it worried Sakaki to no end. Kaorin had even left her bag in the classroom. After talking to a Sensei about it she was instructed to bring it to Kaorin's house. A task she was currently performing. She didn't know why but Sakaki found herself unable to stop worrying about Kaorin. Sakaki was also hopeful though as she would get to talk to Kaorin and maybe even get her own cat ears. "Oh yeah," Sakaki remembered, "She has a pet cat too." This happy thought caused Sakaki to pick up her pace.

The girl in question was currently locked up in her room truly considering the prospect of never coming out again. She had arrived home several hours ago an emotional train wreck. Luckily her mother didn't scold her for skipping school when she saw how troubled Kaorin really was. However, her mother explained to her that the doctor did not take her mother seriously. So she was truly in the dark as to where the ears and tail came from and how, if at all, she could be rid of them.

Kaorin regretted forgetting her school bag. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and she honestly had no intentions of leaving her room. "I could have eaten my lunch if I had brought it home with me," she lamented out loud. Even more worrisome the meteorite was in her bag. Kaorin couldn't help but imagine someone would find it and steal it or throw it away not realizing its significance. Letting out a sigh she got up off her bed and made her way to the dresser where she critically examined her reflection. In addition to the tail and ears it appeared as though her incisors had grown slightly, although it was barely noticeable.

"What if I keep changing?" Kaorin wondered, "Am I going to turn into a cat?" This thought horrified her to no end. "I want off this crazy train!" Kaorin wailed out loud as she flopped back down onto her bed. Kaorin hadn't noticed any changes since this morning, but that was no guarantee that she wouldn't continue to change. "What if I change every time I sleep?" she thought.

Kaorin was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on her door. "Kaori, a friend from your school has brought your bag back. Please come out." Kaorin's mother pleaded.

"I'm not coming out!" Kaorin refused, "Just leave the bag by the door!"

"Come on," her mother pleaded as she banged on the door again, "Your friend came all the way here to see you!"

"I'm not coming out!" Kaorin repeated.

-Next Time-

Kaorin heard another knock followed by a very different voice. "Please let me in," the undeniable voice pleaded, "I want to talk with you." Losing her will at the sound of that wonderful voice, Kaorin leapt off of her bed, raced to her door, unlocked it, and then swung it open to reveal her idol standing there. "May I come in?" Sakaki politely inquired as she bowed slightly.

* * *

A/N: Once again I have simply placed the first paragraph of the next chapter as the teaser. Hopefully I can keep getting by with this but I just know one of these chapters is going to start on a one line paragraph and that just won't do. Science lesson! Kaorin mentions that she cannot hear as well with her new ears. In reality if ones ears were to change like that, said person would be completely and utterly unable to hear. The brain is hard wired once one progresses through childhood and it would be nearly impossible for one's mind to ever properly decipher the new signals. I have chosen to ignore this tidbit. Secondly the new position and shape would cause a person to lose the ability to figure out which direction a sound is coming from. This is what Kaorin is talking about. Even if she can hear much, much more sharply and over more frequencies, she cannot figure out where the sounds are coming from. Eventually her hearing will improve. I have not decided what I shall do about Sakaki's first name. I really was hoping she had been given one at some point but I knew that those hopes would be dashed. I don't know if I should make up a name or just leave her as Sakaki. It's too early in the story to be worrying about that, though.


	3. Cat Bites

A/N: A short chapter this time, and it only really stars Sakaki and Kaorin. Next chapter should be longer and feature much more of the cast. I've gone ahead and used "Aida" to refer to Kaorin's mother. In future chapters (and the previous) some people will probably refer to Kaorin as Aida-san since it is her last name. Without further delay here is Chapter Two.

* * *

Kaorin heard another knock followed by a very different voice. "Please let me in," the undeniable voice pleaded, "I want to talk with you." Kaorin leapt off of her bed, raced to her door and unlocked it, and then swung it open to reveal her idol standing there. "May I come in?" Sakaki politely inquired as she bowed slightly.

"Sa-Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin marveled, "Please come in!" Sakaki offered a little greeting as she entered Kaorin's room. "What are you doing here Sakaki-san?"

"I brought your bag," Sakaki said as she handed the bag to Kaorin.

"Thank you very much!" Kaorin exclaimed with a deep bow as she retrieved her bag. "Can I get you anything?" Kaorin dumbly asked as she realized only after asking that there was nothing in her room to offer Sakaki.

"Are you all right?" Sakaki seriously asked Kaorin, "You seemed really upset."

"I-No, I'm not okay," Kaorin admitted as she adverted her gaze. "Everyone was staring at me and most of them were poking fun at me because of these stupid things," she said as she motioned to her ears. "Then those guys started hitting on me and even Tomo made fun of my ears."

"How did you get them?" Sakaki asked.

"I don't know!" Kaorin said a little too emotionally. "I-I just woke up this morning and it was there! I don't know how or why I got these." "I hate them!" Kaorin continued to rant. "I might never be able to go back to school! And what if…what if I keep changing?" she wailed as tears threatened to fall.

Sakaki responded with the incredibly bold move of wrapping Kaorin into an embrace. "If it is any consolation," Sakaki informed the girl in her arms, "I think they are very cute."

All of Kaorin's anguish and fears washed away the second Sakaki took her into her arms and at the word cute Kaorin was certain her heart would explode. "Sa-Sakaki-san," Kaorin stammered out in a dreamy voice as she wrapped her arms around the taller girl.

"Umm," Sakaki started with more than a little apprehension. "Is it…Can I pet you?" Sakaki shyly asked as a deep blush set in across her face.

Unable to deny any request of Sakaki's, Kaorin simply nodded as she floated about cloud nine in Sakaki's embrace. Unfortunately for Kaorin she had just given Sakaki permission to break the embrace. She reluctantly let go and took a step back revealing her tomato red face. As Sakaki reached her hand out Kaorin was overcome with a sudden urge to bite it. And the next thing that registered in Kaorin's mind was the taste of blood. Kaorin quickly released Sakaki's hand and spat before noticing Sakaki cradling her hand with a pained expression on her face. "I-I'm sorry!" Kaorin apologized as she bowed over and over as she continued to spout apologies, "I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" It took a minute more of apologizing before Kaorin finally offered to help Sakaki.

She ushered Sakaki into the bathroom and rinsed out her mouth before helping Sakaki bandage her hand. "Why?" Sakaki inquired as Kaorin wrapped the bandage around Sakaki's hand, "Why did you bite me?"

Kaorin shook her head as she released Sakaki's freshly bandaged hand. "I really don't know!" Kaorin insisted as tears finally broke free. "I would never hurt you!" Kaorin proclaimed, "I mean…I just did but I-I-I"

"You really don't know why?" Sakaki questioned as she stared at her hand. "Not even an idea?" Kaorin only shook her head as she started to cry once more apologizing.

Sakaki once again brought Kaorin into a hug in hopes of stopping her tears. "Please don't cry," the tall girl pleaded, "I'm not mad at you." As soon as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl she started to relax. "I just wanted to know why I keep getting bitten."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Kaorin asked as she sniffled, "I only bit you once."

"No…I," Sakaki stumbled as she cursed herself at her slip up. Sakaki didn't mean to group her together with cats and if she found out she'd get even more upset. "I…umm," Sakaki tried to find an excuse, but fate found one for her instead.

"Oh, here you two are," Aida said as she found the duo. "What are you two doing?" she asked skeptically as she found the two in the embarrassing position of being in a hug. The girls in question quickly jumped away from each other as Sakaki shyly looked away while Kaorin tried to hide her teary face. "Kaori, are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah," Kaorin replied with a nod and a fake smile.

"Right," Aida said not believing the act for a second, "Anyway, I'm just about to put dinner on. Will your friend here being staying?"

"Sa-Sakaki-san?" Kaorin started.

"I would have to call my mother," Sakaki offered as she pulled out her cell phone.

Dinner was even more awkward for the two girls. Both were so nervous that they only really said anything when Aida spoke to them. After the uneventful meal Sakaki made her excuses and prepared to go home. "Thanks again for returning my bag," Kaorin politely said as she bowed to which Sakaki followed with her own bow. "And sorry about your hand!" Kaorin exclaimed with another deep bow that Sakaki also returned. "Please come by again!" she offered with yet another bow. Giving one last bow to her host Sakaki left Kaorin's house.

"I've never seen you so nervous in my life," Aida berated. "Are you still upset?"

"A little bit," Kaorin admitted as she lowered her head. "Do I have to go back to school tomorrow?"

"I really think you should," Aida informed her daughter, "but if you really aren't feeling up to it I won't force you." "Oh, and Kaori," her mother continued, "I managed to set up an appointment for you to have a checkup. So your doctor will have a look at you next week."

"Right…thanks, Mama," Kaorin muttered before dragging herself back to her room. She didn't want to go back to school. But she did want to see Sakaki again, and the sooner the better. Kaorin flopped down onto her bed as she tried her best to remember the feeling of Sakaki hugging her. As she started to fall asleep she bolted out of her bed as if it were aflame. Sleeping was the last thing Kaorin wanted to do. The last time she fell asleep she grew cat ears and a tail. What would become of her this time? Kaorin didn't want to find out. To occupy herself she ended up digging in her schoolbag and started studying with the intent of staying awake, forever.

* * *

Sakaki sighed as she trudged home. "That didn't go nearly as well as I'd hoped," Sakaki thought as she stared at her bandaged hand. It didn't look like she would be getting cat ears or a tail after all. But that thought was barely in her mind at all. She could not help but keep thinking of the poor distraught girl. "Was it a curse of some kind?" she mumbled aloud. No. Curses were bad things, right? Kaorin may have been upset but it couldn't possibly be all bad. All of her thoughts were cut short when she suddenly spied Kamineko. Sakaki reached out to try and pet the grey cat, but hesitated as soon as she saw her bandaged hand. "Even Kaorin bit me when I tried to pet her," Sakaki thought. "Don't cats like to be petted?" After thinking the matter over for a few moments Sakaki decided to leave Kamineko alone until she found out more about why she keeps getting bitten and there was only one way she was going to learn anything about it: Kaorin.

After leaving Kamineko behind it didn't take long for Sakaki to arrive back at her home. She let herself in before going up to her room, her sanctuary. Filled with fuzzy, fluffy, furry, and otherwise cute things this was the only place Sakaki found she could truly be herself. Unfortunately for the absurdly tall girl she wouldn't get to enjoy herself this evening. The sun was already setting and she hadn't even started on her homework. Letting out a sigh she sat down at her desk adorned with stuffed animals, dolls, and figurines to begin her work.

Despite her wandering thoughts, Sakaki was able to complete her work before it got too late. After showering and changing into her cat paw prints pajamas she went downstairs to see if her mother had arrived home yet. She was disappointed to find the house empty. When she had called her mother earlier she mentioned that she would be working late, so Sakaki didn't really know why she had expected to find her mother to be there. Letting out a sigh she dragged herself back to her room and crawled into bed. Once again in her sanctuary she couldn't help but let her thoughts once more drift to that girl as she eased into a comfortable slumber.

-Next Time-

Kaorin exited her house with a little hesitance, but she wouldn't let her fears keeping her from seeing Sakaki again. She ended up seeing her much sooner than expected, however, as she exited her gate she found her tall idol standing there waiting for her. "Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin exclaimed before tripping over herself only to be caught by Sakaki's powerful arms. "Sakaki-san," Kaorin repeated in a trance as she realized their lips were only millimeters apart. Sakaki then leaned in and took Kaorin's lips in her own.

* * *

A/N: Hehe, a fun teaser this time. Originally I had Kaorin resist the urge to bite Sakaki, but I just couldn't resist but to have her do it anyways! I'm stuck on my other story so I've just been working on this one. That's why this chapter is up so soon. The next one might be up quickly too, it all depends on my other story and weather or not I get it going again. That aside, this story doesn't seem prone to writers block which is a good thing. Although it remains to be seen if things will keep going smoothly or not. Please stay tuned and review if you can spare the time!


	4. Cat Whisperer

A/N: I know I promised a longer chapter and one that featured the majority of the cast, but this was running on too long so I cut it short. Maybe a little too short, but it's been awhile since I've updated anything so I went ahead with this.

* * *

Kaorin exited her house with a little hesitance, but she wouldn't let her fears keeping her from seeing Sakaki again. She ended up seeing her idol much sooner than expected, however, as she exited her gate she found the tall girl standing there waiting for her. "Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin exclaimed before tripping over herself only to be caught by Sakaki's powerful arms. "Sakaki-san," Kaorin repeated in a trance as she realized their lips were only millimeters apart. Sakaki then leaned in and took Kaorin's lips in her own.

Their kiss was interrupted by a passing ambulance. However, instead of the normal siren the vehicle blared an annoying beeping sound. Kaorin groggily sat up and opened her eyes to the familiar sights of her room. She irately made her way to her alarm clock and shut it off. "It was such a wonderful dream too," Kaorin lamented. Just then another, much more terrifying thought hit her. Kaorin raced to her dresser to examine her reflection. Relief slowly set in as she found nothing had changed, though she still had cat ears. After making sure nothing about her face had changed Kaorin quickly scanned over the rest of her body. Once again nothing had changed, although the tail had remained. Kaorin breathed a sigh of relief before she quickly rushed through her morning routine so she wouldn't be late for school.

Kaorin was thankfully able to finish up in record time and it looked as though she would make it on time. As she was putting on her shoes Kaorin's ears twitched as they picked up strange sounds. Kaorin perked her head up and looked around, but couldn't figure out which direction the sounds were coming from. For some reason the noise caused an apprehension to run rampant in the young woman. It took a minute for Kaorin to get a hold of herself. She dismissed the feeling as her nerves and apprehension of going back to school. Gathering her courage she walked out of her home and shut the door behind her. She could still hear the noises, but it appeared as nothing was around. "I knew it was nothing," Kaorin said with a sigh of relief. Her relief was short lived, however, as she noticed a bit of motion just outside the gate.

* * *

At about the same time a certain inseparable duo could be seen walking to school. Ever since Tomo had joined up with Yomi she had been playing with an unusual looking weed. Growing tired of the wildcat's antics Yomi finally felt the need to speak up. "Why are you playing with that thing?" Yomi demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Tomo replied playfully as she danced the end of the plant across Yomi's face eliciting a sneeze. Yomi angrily tried to snatch the object away from Tomo, but the girl was prepared and deftly pulled it out of Yomi's reach. A sneeze wasn't the reaction Tomo was going for. Curious, the wildcat brought the plant under her own nose and sniffed it. She then let out a sigh. "I hope it works on Kaorin," she mumbled aloud.

A vein began to throb on Yomi's head as she suddenly realized what the plant was. "That's catnip isn't it?" Yomi demanded as she tried to snatch it away again. This time she was successful and tossed the object away despite Tomo's repeated protests. "And you're going to apologize to Kaorin for yesterday too," Yomi ordered.

"What? Why?" Tomo demanded, "I didn't say anything that wasn't true."

"You upset her enough that she ran out of school!" Yomi yelled, "You're going to apologize if I have to force you!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Tomo challenged. A second later all Tomo saw was stars.

* * *

Kaorin was having similar vision problems. As soon as she left her front gate she found herself surrounded by paparazzi from various newspapers, tabloids, and even television. Being blinded by the flashing lights and bombarded by the onslaught of questions Kaorin was completely and totally overwhelmed. Her first instinct was to run away, but she was surrounded on all sides. Disoriented and surrounded Kaorin didn't know what to do. Scared and confused she was about to just about to break down and cry when someone took her by the wrist and roughly jerked her out of the crowd. Once they were clear Kaorin found her savior to be none other than the girl she had always dreamed would come to her rescue.

"Sakaki-san!" Kaorin marveled as the taller girl continued to drag her along.

"Hurry up," Sakaki warned as all of the reporters had given chase.

As they dashed along it was becoming clear that the reporters were not about to give up the chase and they were even following along in cars! Kaorin honestly didn't know how much longer she would be able to keep up with Sakaki. She was never the most athletic in school and Sakaki was nearly superhuman in her abilities. Still, she couldn't allow herself to slow down. Those reporters would surround her again.

"What are we going to do?" Kaorin cried out to her idol.

"This way!" Sakaki urged as she suddenly pulled Kaorin down an alley.

The narrow alley was creepy and dark and it worried Kaorin to no end. Sakaki led them behind a dumpster where the alley split off into a new alley. After getting to this new alley Sakaki then dragged Kaorin across a bunch of cardboard boxes which led, amazingly, to an unseen door. Opening the door led to what appeared to be an abandoned building. Sakaki then carefully closed the door behind her and hiding the duo away from the prying eyes of the media.

"Are you all right?" Sakaki inquired.

Before Kaorin could respond the sound of many cats growling could be heard. Even in the dim light Kaorin found it rather easy to spot dozens of cats that had apparently taken up residence in this abandoned place.

"They seem angry," Kaorin said in a whisper in hopes that she could prevent angering the cats any further. A black cat jumped down from a ledge and several other cats joined its flank. Now surrounded, Kaorin was really starting to grow concerned. "Maybe we should go back out into the alley."

"You should talk to them," Sakaki urged. "They'll listen to you."

"That won't work at all," Kaorin reasoned as the black cat walked closer followed by the rest of the horde.

"Please," Sakaki begged as she stepped behind Kaorin and urged her forward.

"What does she expect me to do?" Kaorin thought as she eyed the cats. Never in her life had she seen cats act like this. Coming up with an idea she pinched herself. "Damn it," Kaorin cursed under her breath as she realized that she wasn't dreaming. "They're just cats," Kaorin thought as she singled out the black cat that seemed to be at the forefront of the group. "Go away!" Kaorin shouted as she stomped forward in an attempt to scare away the cats.

The ploy failed. The black cat easily darted around Kaorin and lunged at Sakaki, biting her hand. The rest of the cats also started following suit. Kaorin quickly snapped into action. She did an about face and immediately grabbed the cat away from Sakaki and threw it clear across the room. Unseen by Kaorin, Sakaki looked absolutely distraught at the poor thing as it got up and ran away. With their leader beaten, the rest of the cats immediately stopped growling and hissing as they all looked to Kaorin.

"Wh-What?" Kaorin questioned as she saw all the cats looking to her. It appeared that with the black cat gone every one of the other cats looked to Kaorin as their leader. Sakaki seized the opportunity and knelt down to try and pet the nearest cat. Although it seemed docile, as soon as her hand approached the feline it latched onto it like a bear trap. "Don't bite!" Kaorin scolded as she smacked the cat. It immediately released its grip and ran away. Even though she had just been bitten, Sakaki once more tried to pet another cat. This time instead of biting it quickly jumped away from her reach. Time and again when Sakaki reached out the feline would dash out of reach.

"They really don't seem to like you," Kaorin softly offered as she knelt down next to Sakaki.

Sakaki brought her hand to her face as she stared at it. "Why?" the tall girl mumbled.

"Here," Kaorin offered as she picked up one of the nearby cats and held it in her arms. As soon as the cat noticed Sakaki reaching for it the small animal tried its hardest to get away, but Kaorin made sure to keep it from leaping away.

Amazingly, the cat made no move to bite Sakaki as her hand slowly made its way to rest on the feline's head. Sakaki seemed to be in a trance as she gently petted the occasionally struggling cat. Finally being able to pet the cute creature, Sakaki couldn't help but let her façade slip as a smile and a blush crept across her face. Seeing such a serene look on Sakaki's face also put Kaorin into a trance as she couldn't help but to stare at the blissful expression. The two girls stayed in their daze for quite some time as neither girl felt the passage of time over the overwhelming feeling of euphoria.

The tender moment came to an abrupt end, however, as the cat wriggled free and leapt away. Unable to let the wonderful moment get away Sakaki tried in vain to pet another of the nearby cats, but they all jumped away from her. Kaorin also tried to get the tender moment back by picking up another cat. As she did so the sound of an ambulance suddenly sparked her back to reality.

"We're going to be late for school!" Kaorin fretted as she released the cat.

"Do you think they're gone?" Sakaki questioned as she got up and stared at the door.

"I-I really hope so," Kaorin replied as she slowly opened the door and cautiously looked out. "I don't see anything," she said with a sigh of release as she stepped out and around the garbage hiding the door.

"Let's hurry," Sakaki said as she stepped into the alley alongside Kaorin. "We're already late!"

As the duo made their way through the alley Kaorin couldn't help but notice that the cats kept following them. Kaorin turned to the cats as she racked her mind for a way to make them stop following. "You can't follow me to school," she futilely informed the small animals. "You have to stay here!"

"We really need to hurry," Sakaki coaxed as she looked at her cell phone's clock, "We're already late."

Kaorin gave a nod and followed after Sakaki hoping the cats would stop following at some point. Kaorin quickly noticed that they weren't being followed anymore. She turned around again to see all the cats waiting at the same spot where she spoke to them. "Did they understand me?" Kaorin asked as Sakaki turned to see the scene. Sakaki only offered a nod.

Kaorin did her best to ignore the freakish situation as she left the alley alongside her idol. Luckily there were no paparazzi to be seen as they reached the street. Their luck held out until they approached the school. It ended there, however. Waiting at the front gate was an entire swarm of reporters and photographers.

"What are we going to do?" Kaorin quietly asked Sakaki as she laid her ears down and did her best to hide her tail as not to attract attention.

"Here," Sakaki offered as she clasped her hands in front of her for Kaorin to step into.

Kaorin hesitated. She looked to Sakaki, to the reporters, and back to Sakaki. Swallowing her fears she reluctantly stepped into Sakaki's hands and allowed Sakaki to help hoist herself over the school wall. Kaorin landed in a secluded part of the school grounds. "How are you going to get over, Sakaki-san?" Kaorin inquired.

"I don't need to," Sakaki replied, "They won't harass me." "I'll see you in class," Sakaki told Kaorin as she made her way for the front gate.

"Sure! Sakaki-san!" Kaorin eagerly replied. Kaorin couldn't help but to hold a hand to her chest as her heart ran wild. "This is so worth it," Kaorin thought as she let out a dreamy sigh. Her bliss came to an abrupt end as she heard a familiar voice.

"Fancy meeting you here, Aida-san." It was one of the boys from yesterday. "Have you reconsidered my offer?" he asked as he produced a cigarette and proceeded to light it and take a puff.

"N-No," Kaorin said as she slowly shook her head. "I-I have to go," she said excusing herself.

-Next Time-

"I don't think so," the boy said as he grabbed Kaorin and pinned her against the wall she had climbed over minutes ago. "No one refuses me," he informed Kaorin as he held her against the wall. "I'll make you come around, Aida-san," he cooed as he took another puff and blew the smoke in Kaorin's face, causing her to cough. Kaorin tried to struggle free, but the boy only increased his hold on her by pressing his body against hers. "A feisty one huh?" he mocked, "I like that."

* * *

A/N: For the record that boy is the second one that harassed Kaorin the day before. Hopefully I did better this chapter and I won't disappoint my Sensei again. The minititles seem a little more spaced out than before, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to really get them to be very consistant at all. Next chapter should include the full cast, though with this done there probably won't be a whole lot of Sakaki and Kaorin next time. I'm also seriously considering adding in another couple, though my lips are sealed as to whom the duo will be. Let me know if you think adding in another couple would add to, or detract from, this story.


	5. Coping

A/N: Following Sensei's advice, I've removed all of the minititles and instead am using simple breaks at scene changes. I have gone back and made this adjustment for all previous chapters. The only exception is that for the preview at the end is titled "Next Time."

* * *

"I don't think so," the boy said as he grabbed Kaorin and pinned her against the wall she had climbed over minutes ago. "No one refuses me," he informed Kaorin as he held her against the wall. "I'll make you come around, Aida-san," he cooed as he took another puff and blew the smoke in Kaorin's face, causing her to cough. Kaorin tried to squirm free, but the boy only increased his hold on her by pressing his body against hers. "A feisty one huh?" he mocked, "I like that."

"Please," Kaorin begged as she feebly struggled, "Let me go."

"No way," he refused.

"What are you doing with my Kaorin?" a voice demanded.

The boy looked over to see none other than Kimura. "It's nothing," the boy said nonchalantly as he let Kaorin go and did his best to hide the cigarette.

Kimura completely ignored the boy as he made his retreat. Instead he only stared at Kaorin.

"Th-Thank you, Kimura-sensei!" Kaorin said with a bow. Never in her life had she been so relieved to see her classics teacher.

Kimura adjusted his glasses as he continued to stare at Kaorin. "I definitely approve, Kaorin!" he praised.

"Please don't call me that!" Kaorin demanded.

"How about I call you 'Koneko-chan' then?" Kimura sincerely asked.

"No!" Kaorin refused with a blush. "I-I have to get to class!" Kaorin said excusing herself.

"Actually, the principal would like to see you," Kimura informed her as he started off and motioned for Kaorin to follow. "Please follow me, Koneko-chan."

Kaorin reluctantly followed after Kimura. "My name is Kaorin!" she asserted. "I-I mean Kaori! You should call me 'Aida-san!'"

* * *

Inside the principal's office Kaorin fidgeted in a chair across from the large desk the principal sat behind. Both the principal and Kimura were staring at her intently as she had her ears folded down against her head and stared intently at the floor. "They're really real?" the principal whispered to Kimura, but with her new ears Kaorin heard him plain as day.

"They are," Kimura assured him, "Isn't it wonderful?"

The principal ignored Kimura as he walked around his desk and came to stop in front of Kaorin. "I've heard a lot about you since yesterday," the principal spoke to her in a stern voice. "You caused quite a disruption in class, you left your classroom without permission, and then you ditched school!" he told her as he leaned forward and stared at a now petrified Kaorin. "Now, I have just one question for you," the principal insisted.

"Y-Yes?" Kaorin choked out.

"Can I touch your ears!" he exclaimed with a smile.

Kaorin fell out of her chair. "Wh-What?" Kaorin asked as she pulled herself up.

"Oh!" the principal exclaimed as he pulled out his cell phone, "Make that face again!" He proceeded to take Kaorin's photo even as Kimura quickly joined him with his own cell phone. "My wife will love this!" the principal marveled as he looked at the picture on his phone.

"I might have been safer with those reporters," Kaorin thought as she stared at the two adults acting like teenagers. "Um…can I leave now?" Kaorin shyly asked.

The principal looked up and immediately regained his composure. "Ahem, sorry about that," he apologized. "Under the circumstances I'm not going to punish you for your actions. However I must ask that you not repeat any of those actions. Do I make myself understood?" the principal ordered.

"Yes sir," Kaorin meekly said with a small awkward bow.

"I have already informed all of your teachers of your…condition. So that the mishap that occurred with Tanizaki-sensei won't happen again," the principal explained. "You are dismissed, but before you return to class I would like to urge you to speak with the school counselor."

"Yes sir," Kaorin repeated as she got up and practically ran out of the room.

* * *

"Where could she have gone?" Sakaki wondered as she sat at her desk and stared out the window. The tall girl already had taken the last break between classes to go out and look for her where they had last parted, but she didn't see Kaorin anywhere. Kaorin wouldn't have left school grounds with that horde of reporters at the gate, right? "Did she scale the wall again?" Sakaki was at a loss and found herself worrying quite a bit over the girl.

The tall girl looked around the classroom for something to find solace in. She hadn't paid a bit of attention to the man at the front of the room trying to teach math. "I hope it's nothing important," she thought in passing as she continued to look around. Sakaki then saw a few of her friends. "Maybe they know what I should do. They've all had friends longer than me, especially Yomi." Of course as soon as she thought about Yomi her gaze went to a certain wildcat. For some reason Tomo seemed a little irritated. "Is she worried about her too?" Sakaki wondered. Finally her gaze came to rest on someone who could almost certainly help, Chihiro. "I should ask her for Kaorin's cell phone number. Surely she would have it and then I can find out where she went!"

Her musings were cut short as she was handed a sheet of paper. She hadn't even heard the teacher mention a test and all this time she hadn't been paying attention! Sakaki stared helplessly at the test as she let out a sigh. "I really hope she's okay," Sakaki thought as she started the test she was certain she would not do well on.

* * *

"That was a huge waste of time," Kaorin complained with a sigh as she closed the door to the counselor's office. Kaorin proceeded to take out her cell phone to see just how much was wasted. "It's almost time for gym class," Kaorin observed. Suddenly a thought struck her. "If I hurry I can get changed before anyone gets there!" It would save her quite a bit of embarrassment if she could avoid having to deal with all those girls staring at her new ears and tail. Kaorin quickly set off for the changing room.

Sakaki had missed her chance. Chihiro had beaten her out the door. Sakaki was working on a new plan as class three was making its way to the locker rooms. Unfortunately, in spite of Sakaki's cleverness she could not figure out what she should do and she didn't think she'd be able to bring herself to talk to Chihiro in front of all those girls.

As Sakaki was entering the locker room she vaguely registered a commotion going on within. Lost in her own thoughts she paid her peers no mind as she entered and made her way to her locker. As she opened her locker she heard a voice that made her heart constrict painfully in her chest.

"Sakaki-san!" Kaorin exclaimed as she ran up to the tall girl and offered a deep bow. "Thank you so much for earlier!"

The girl's praise brought the attention of all the girls in the locker room eliciting a blush to Sakaki's face as she was suddenly very nervous being the center of attention. "It's nothing," Sakaki dismissed as she offered a little bow to Kaorin. Sakaki was truly relieved that Kaorin was all right, though she wasn't about to let down her façade here in front of everyone.

Yomi pushed her way through the crowd dragging Tomo behind by her ear. "Say it," Yomi ordered as she tugged on Tomo's ear to get her point across.

"Oww," Tomo complained. "S-Sorry Kaorin," Tomo begrudgingly choked out, "About yesterday…the ears thing…"

While Kaorin wasn't exactly ready to forgive the wildcat, she couldn't bring herself to be mean enough to reject the apology either. "I-Its fine, Tomo-chan," Kaorin dismissed as Yomi released Tomo's ear.

"That doesn't look very comfortable, Kaorin," Yomi observed as she pointed towards Kaorin's rear.

"It's not," Kaorin complained as she tugged at the edge of her swimsuit where her tail was poking out. "This is a lot more uncomfortable than underwear."

The conversation suddenly got too embarrassing for Sakaki to stick around as she darted out of the changing room and out to the pool.

"I have an idea!" Chihiro announced as she flaunted a pair of scissors that she got from who-knows-where.

"That's a lot better," Kaorin said after pulling her tail through the newly cut hole in the back of her swimsuit.

Chihiro offered a big grin. "Maybe after school today I can come over and we can fix that panties problem you have." Chihiro joked as she watched Kaorin turn ten shades of red.

* * *

After Nyamo took attendance, she dismissed the students to do calisthenics and stretches. As Kaorin started her stretches she discovered that her tendons and joints offered no resistance at all. Doing most any stretch she could reach all the way down and it didn't hurt at all.

"Wow, she's even more flexible than you, Yomi," Tomo observed. As Tomo stretched forward she noticed that Kaorin's tail was just within reach. Unable to resist the urge, Tomo made a grab for it, but unfortunately it flicked away and just out of the wildcat's reach causing her to fall over and tumble on top of Kaorin.

"Get off of me!" Kaorin ordered.

"You're not flabby at all," Tomo observed as she got off of Kaorin. "So how is it you can bend like her?" "Uwaa!" Tomo suddenly screamed as Yomi tackled her into the pool.

"Quit horsing around!" Nyamo ordered. She then let out a sigh as several students decided to jump in as well, and soon all the students were in the pool.

Shortly after jumping in, Kaorin made her way to the side and hung onto the edge of the pool as she shook her head side to side.

"Something wrong?" Kagura prodded as she caught sight of the strange behavior.

"I have water in my ears," Kaorin complained as she tried tilting her head and snapping it around in an attempt to get the fluid out. "I can't seem to get it out at all."

"Maybe you should stand on your head," Kagura offered as she climbed out of the pool.

"I can't-" Kaorin started, but before she could get any further Kagura jerked her up out of the water.

"I'll hold your legs," Kagura offered.

Letting out a sigh Kaorin gave in to Kagura's demand. She did want to get the water out anyway. Kaorin leaned forward, jumped up, and turned so she was standing on her hands with Kagura helping her balance.

"Quit it!" Kagura suddenly complained.

"Quit what?" Kaorin asked.

"Your tail," Kagura pointed out as the wet tail hit her in the face over and over.

"S-Sorry!" Kaorin apologized as she willed her tail to go limp. "Hey Kagura, can you hold me up?" Kaorin asked as she realized the water wasn't going to leave so easily. "I need to use my hands."

"Right," Kagura said as she readjusted her grip and picked Kaorin up off of the ground. "Is this good?" Kagura choked out.

"Yeah," Kaorin said as she tried to coax the water from her ears with her hands and fingers.

"What's going on here?" Tomo asked as she found the duo in the strange position and pulled herself out of the water.

"We're trying to get water out of her ears," Kagura explained, "It's not working."

"I have an idea!" Tomo announced.

"What?" Kaorin demanded from her awkward position. "Don't listen to anything that she says!" Her protest fell on deaf ears as Tomo grabbed one of Kaorin's legs while Kagura got the other and the duo proceeded to yank the poor girl up and down in hopes of dislodging the intrusive liquid. Kaorin wailed and flailed, but the two girls didn't seem to notice until Kaorin's motion sickness kicked in and she purged.

The two girls quickly pulled Kaorin away and put her down away from the puddle of revolting liquid. "I'm sorry!" Kagura vehemently apologized, "I didn't think that would happen! Are you okay?"

Kaorin moved to say something, but instead covered her mouth and focused on keeping the rest of her stomach's contents down.

"Did we get the water out?" Tomo prodded.

In response Kaorin only sent Tomo an angry glare.

-Next Time-

In the end Kagura had to escort Kaorin to the nurse in hopes she could aid Kaorin's sickness. As soon as Kaorin walked in the nurses smile faded away and she backpedalled until she hit the far wall. "Y-You're back," the nurse nervously noted as she tried her best to put on a fake smile. Since Kagura was holding Kaorin up it was clear that the catgirl was the one that needed something. "Wh-What's wrong with it?" she asked as she nervously looked around.

* * *

A/N: "Koneko" is Japanese for "Kitten." Not much happened this time at all. Unfortunate. I suppose there was more progress with Kaorin adjusting to her new body, but hardly anything happened between her and Sakaki. And speaking of that, I'm rather disheartened at weather or not I should add in another pairing. It's probably my favorite pairing but it's also by far one of the most farfetched. The next chapter probably won't have much between Kaorin and Sakaki since it will primarily still be during the school day and Sakaki definately isn't going to do anything in front of a crowd at this point. After that though I will probably whip up something, no promises though!


	6. Promise

A/N: Here's the newest chapter. It didn't turn out anything like I'd planned, but in a good way. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

In the end Kagura had to escort Kaorin to the nurse in hopes she could aid Kaorin's sickness. As soon as Kaorin walked in the nurses smile faded away and she backpedalled until she hit the far wall. "Y-You're back," the nurse nervously noted as she tried her best to put on a fake smile. Since Kagura was holding Kaorin up it was clear that the catgirl was the one that needed something. "Wh-What's wrong with it?" she asked as she nervously looked around.

"She got kinda seasick so she needs to rest here for awhile," Kagura explained as she held Kaorin up.

"Does she have to rest here?" the nurse asked.

Kagura blinked a couple of times. "Of course," she said, "Where else am I supposed to take her?"

"Anywhere but here!" the nurse insisted, "Now please leave."

Kagura wanted to protest, but instead she reluctantly followed directions and helped Kaorin out of the nurse's office. "What're we supposed to do?" Kagura asked.

"Just take me to the classroom," Kaorin complained.

"Right," Kagura said with a nod as she led Kaorin off to class three's room. Kagura assisted Kaorin into the classroom and to her desk where the catgirl flopped down on top of her desk. "Are you really okay?" Kagura inquired.

"Why does she hate me?" Kaorin mused out loud.

"The nurse?" Kagura asked, "She was acting really funny. Maybe she's allergic to cats."

"I'm _not_ a cat!" Kaorin yelled.

"Sorry," the tomboy apologized, "I didn't mean to…"

"Its fine," Kaorin dismissed as she laid her head back down on her desk.

"This is all my fault," Kagura continued to apologize, "Isn't there anything I can do to make it up to you?" When Kaorin didn't respond Kagura kept pushing. "Come on, there must be something, anything."

"Anything?" Kaorin asked after another moment of silence.

"Sure, name it," Kagura assured.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" Kaorin asked again as she finally picked her head up off of her desk.

"Um…sure," the tomboy replied to the sudden strange question.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone," Kaorin demanded as she stared at Kagura.

"I promise, I promise," Kagura assured.

"You're friends with Sakaki-san," Kaorin pointed out.

"We're rivals," Kagura boasted.

"I…um…" Kaorin stumbled as she suddenly became embarrassed. "How do I explain this…" Kaorin mumbled.

* * *

"She disappeared again," Sakaki thought as she found no trace of the catgirl. The last Sakaki had seen Kaorin she was doing stretches. Sakaki suddenly shook her head dispelling her thoughts.

"Are you all right Sakaki-san?" Chiyo inquired as she held onto the edge of the pool.

Sakaki nodded. "I was just wondering where Kaorin went," Sakaki told the little genius.

"Oh!" Chiyo replied. "Kagura-san took Kaorin to the nurse's office."

"Is she okay?" Sakaki demanded a little too harshly.

"I-I don't know," Chiyo responded more than a little surprised at Sakaki's sudden change in demeanor.

"The cat is fine," Tomo interjected as she swam up to the duo. "She just needed to see the nurse to get water out of her ears."

"The cat?" Chiyo asked.

"Don't listen to her," Yomi scolded. "She and Kagura made Kaorin sick and that's why she went to the nurse."

"Did they give her the flu?" Osaka inquired as she joined the ever growing group of friends.

"Of course not!" Tomo pointed out, "If that happened I'd have to go to the nurse's too."

"Did you catch what she has then?" Osaka countered.

"Do you really think I could?" Tomo asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Don't be stupid," Yomi argued. "She has motion sickness, that's not contagious."

"How did she get motion sick?" Sakaki asked.

"It could be," Tomo retorted, completely ignoring Sakaki.

"No, it can't!" Yomi yelled back.

"If one person can get it then it can be transferred to someone else," Osaka mused.

"Yeah," Tomo agreed.

"I give up," Yomi muttered as she swam away.

"So how can I tell if I have motion sickness now?" Tomo asked.

"How did Kaorin get sick?" Osaka asked.

"Me and Kagura held her upside down and shook her to get the water out of her ears," Tomo explained as she made wild motions trying to emulate what they did.

Sakaki let out a sigh as she also swam away. It didn't look like she'd get to see much of Kaorin at all today. And the day started out so well too. Sakaki stopped swimming as a slight blush crossed her face as she recalled actually petting that cat this morning.

* * *

Not having the manpower to do what Tomo and Kagura did to Kaorin, Osaka and the wildcat were working on another course of action to see if Tomo had caught Kaorin's motion sickness. "You really think it'll work?" Tomo asked.

Osaka nodded, "Yeah, just spin really fast."

Following orders Tomo began to spin in circles and, as she did in most everything, she did it with loud, flailing exuberance. In no time the wildcat misstepped and crashed into Osaka and both girls fell into the pool. Unfortunately for Chiyo, both girls landed right on top of her.

It took Nyamo, Sakaki, and Yomi to save the three drowning girls. "What on earth were you thinking?" Nyamo scolded.

"We were trying to see if Tomo-chan caught Kaorin's motion sickness," Osaka explained.

"It's not contagious!" Yomi screamed.

* * *

"You like Sakaki?" Kagura asked.

"Y-Yeah," a blushing Kaorin affirmed.

"You mean you…um…you like girls?" Kagura asked.

Kaorin nodded as she looked away. "I really like Sakaki-san," Kaorin told Kagura, "Since you are close to her do you know what she likes? Some way I can get her attention?"

"Sorry, I don't really know what she likes," Kagura admitted. "She really doesn't talk about herself a lot."

"You don't have any ideas at all?" Kaorin begged.

Kagura looked thoughtful for a moment before coming up with something. "Ah! I think Sakaki likes flowers," the tomboy offered.

"Flowers?" Kaorin asked, "Isn't that a little clichéd?"

"Maybe," Kagura admitted. "But I can't think of anything else."

"Well can you talk to her?" Kaorin requested, "Try to figure out something that can help me?"

"Sure," Kagura offered with a smile. After a moment Kagura's demeanor changed. "Hey Kaorin," Kagura asked with a small blush, "Can I ask you something?"

"Okay," Kaorin asked a bit baffled as to what Kagura could want.

"I mean if you like girls and all…" Kagura started, "Do you…Do you think I'm cute?"

Kaorin nearly fell out of her chair. "W-What?" Kaorin stammered.

"Sakaki gets a lot of attention," Kagura pointed out, "And even you have guys asking you out. But that never happens for me." "N-Not that I'd really want to date anyone just yet!" Kagura said, suddenly defensive. "I don't really have time for that kind of thing, but still, I wish I'd get at least some attention," Kagura admitted, "Is it because I'm unattractive?" Unseen by both girls, a dim pink light could be seen coming out of Kaorin's bag.

"You certainly aren't cute," Kaorin bluntly told her. Unexpectedly, Kagura actually started to get teary eyed. "Y-You're not ugly though!" Kaorin informed her. "You're just not cute. You're more like…um…s-sexy," Kaorin said with a blush.

"Why don't I get any attention then?" Kagura inquired as she swiped at the unshed tears.

After studying Kagura for a moment Kaorin quickly spotted a major problem for Kagura. "Our school uniforms don't look good on you at all," Kaorin informed her.

"Yeah," Kagura admitted, "I don't really look good in skirts and stuff like that."

Kaorin shook her head. "I think you'd look really sexy in a tight fitting dress." An awkward silence ensued as both girls blushed and looked away. "S-sorry," Kaorin offered. Thankfully the tension was broken by the sound of the school's bell. Kagura silently made her way to her seat before the students started filing into the room.

"Hey Kaorin!" Tomo loudly announced as she entered. "So did we get the water out?"

"Yes, along with my lunch!" Kaorin angrily retorted.

"See!" Tomo boasted, "My idea worked!"

Kaorin was about to scold Tomo, but Yomi beat her to the punch…literally. "Idiot," Yomi berated the downed wildcat. "How are you feeling?" Yomi inquired.

"I'm feeling okay now," Kaorin assured. "A little queasy but it's not that bad."

"That's good to hear," Yomi replied.

"Get in your seats!" the teacher ordered as he entered the classroom.

* * *

Partway through class Kaorin's hands suddenly shot up to the sides of her head. As soon as she realized her ears weren't there anymore she moved her hands to the top of her head and covered her ears. "What is that sound?" Kaorin frantically wondered as she looked around and noticed that none of the other students showed any signs of hearing the piercing noise. Thanks to her inability to localize sound she couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from either. Just as suddenly as the sound started, it stopped. Kaorin continued to look around, completely baffled.

Unseen by Kaorin, Tomo could barely suppress a smile as she twirled a small object between her fingers. Tomo brought it to her lips once more and once more Kaorin covered her ears as the piercing sound returned.

"No one else can hear it?" Kaorin thought as she looked around trying to find the source again. "It's starting to hurt," Kaorin mentally noted as she let out a whimper.

"Is there something wrong with her ears?" Sakaki wondered as she found herself paying more attention to the catgirl than to her studies yet again. As Kaorin let out a little whine Sakaki's concerns only grew. "What could be wrong?" Sakaki thought as she started looking around.

"Oi!" the teacher suddenly yelled, "Aida-san pay attention!" Kaorin made no indications that she even heard him. "Aida-san!"

"What is it?" Kaorin unwittingly yelled. She saw the teacher's lips moving but she couldn't make out what he was saying over that infernal noise. "I can't hear you!" Kaorin shouted again, "It's too loud!"

"What are you talking about?" the teacher demanded, "There is no noise!" This plea also fell on deaf ears.

"Tomo!" Yomi suddenly yelled as she stood up.

"What is this all about?" the teacher demanded as Yomi stormed over to Tomo and started grappling with her. Soon she held up a small whistle as her prize.

Testing her theory Yomi blew into the whistle and while no one else heard anything Kaorin's hands once more covered her ears. "I knew it," Yomi observed as she removed the object from her lips and made certain Tomo couldn't retrieve it. "It's a dog whistle."

"It was a pretty good joke, huh?" Tomo boasted.

"Takino-san!" the teacher angrily said as he pointed to the door.

"Aww, come on!" Tomo protested, "It was just a joke."

"Now!" he insisted.

* * *

After the final bell rang most of the students quickly darted from the room heading off to their clubs or to their homes. Kaorin was busy digging through her bag for the small chunk of metal that came from the sky. "Excuse me," a familiar voice asked.

"Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin exclaimed as she abandoned her task to meet her idol's gaze.

"I was wondering if…" Sakaki started, but was interrupted by Nyamo loudly entering the room dragging a flailing Yukari behind her by the ear.

"Say it," Nyamo ordered as she approached Kaorin and pulled on Yukari's ear.

"Oww," Yukari whined. "Look, I'm sorry," Yukari begrudgingly choked out, "About yesterday…the ears thing…"

"I should go," Sakaki said excusing herself, much to Kaorin's chagrin.

"Okay," Yukari angrily demanded, "I apologized to the brat, can I go home now?"

"Fine," Nyamo relented as she released Yukari's ear. As soon as she let go Yukari was gone in a flash. "If you are all right I need to hurry and go coach the swim team," Nyamo said dismissing herself and leaving Kaorin in the room alone.

"I wonder what Sakaki-san wanted," Kaorin mourned as she picked up her bag and made her way to the astronomy club.

-Next time-

Having made some lousy excuses Kaorin departed from the astronomy club early. They were all much more interested in her ears and tail than the meteorite which irritated Kaorin to no end. "I never should've left home today," Kaorin lamented as she trudged away. "At least there is no school tomorrow," Kaorin thought as she tried to see things on the bright side. However Kaorin soon caught sight of something terrible. As she looked out across the schoolyard she saw reporters gathered outside the front gate, no doubt waiting for her. "What am I supposed to do?" Kaorin wondered. "Ah!" Kaorin suddenly exclaimed, "I know!"

* * *

A/N: For those of you wondering, the nurse doesn't hate Kaorin. She is just completely and absolutely frightened of cats. I didn't originally intend for Kagura to make a pact with Kaorin to help her get to Sakaki, but I think it's a nice touch. Also I didn't intend for Kagura to activate the little gremlin either, but alas she said "I wish" within earshot of that thing. This is something I'm rather unsure of. So far this is the first incident I've made (that I know of) of continuity error. I wrote the story as Sakaki going from Math directly to Gym. I don't know the full schedule but it's mentioned at least twice that Gym is right after Lunch. I would fix it but I didn't notice it until I was doing this chapter and that part is written in the previous. I hate making mistakes.


	7. Friends

A/N: After a long bout with writer's block I've finally won! Here is the newest chapter. It's perhaps not the most entertaining, but it does move the story along.

* * *

Having made some lousy excuses Kaorin departed from the astronomy club early. They were all much more interested in her ears and tail than the meteorite which irritated Kaorin to no end. "I never should've left home today," Kaorin lamented as she trudged away. "At least there is no school tomorrow," Kaorin thought as she tried to see things on the bright side. However Kaorin soon caught sight of something terrible. As she looked out across the schoolyard she saw reporters gathered outside the front gate, no doubt waiting for her. "What am I supposed to do?" Kaorin wondered. "Ah!" Kaorin suddenly exclaimed, "I know!"

Kaorin approached the school's front door, but realized exiting out the front door would be a big mistake. "I should have thought this through," Kaorin lamented as she realized that scaling the wall would be pointless if the paparazzi watched her leave the building. "I need to find another way out," Kaorin mumbled as she turned to leave. She didn't even make it a single step as she bumped into someone. "Sorry," she apologized as she took a step back and quickly bowed.

"Kaorin?" Kagura asked as soon as she recognized her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to leave early," Kaorin deflected. "Anyways, shouldn't you still be with the swim team?" Kaorin dumbly asked as a few other members of the swim team appeared walking towards the front doors.

"We had to cancel it early," Kagura explained. "Didn't you hear the thunder? A storm's coming."

"Do you think the rain will chase them away?" Kaorin asked as she motioned out the doors, now open as swim team members filed out of the building towards the photographers.

"Ah cool!" Kagura marveled as she noticed all of the cameras. "Do you know why they're here?" she excitedly asked.

"They're waiting for me," Kaorin pointed out. It was clear from Kagura's vacant stare that she didn't quite understand. Kaorin irately pointed to her cat ears to remind Kagura of her recent changes.

"Oh yeah," Kagura recognized, "You're kind of in a pinch, huh?"

Kaorin clasped her hands in front of her and offered a little bow. "I've already asked a lot from you, but I need another favor," Kaorin begged.

"Did you have something in mind?" Kagura asked as she gazed through the closing doors at the paparazzi.

Kaorin shook her head. "I avoided them on the way in by getting over the wall, but that won't work if they see me leave the building," Kaorin explained.

"Ah!" Kagura exclaimed as she lowered her fist into the palm of her hand. "I have an idea! Come on!" Kagura exclaimed as she took Kaorin by the hand and started running down the hallway.

"Sensei!" Kagura yelled as she ran to catch up to Nyamo with Kaorin in tow.

"Don't run in the halls," Nyamo scolded as the duo approached.

"Sorry," Kagura apologized, "but we needed to catch you before you left."

"What is it?" the teacher asked.

"We need a favor," Kagura explained. "Well, Kaorin needs a favor," she said as she pushed Kaorin in front of her. "There are all kinds of reporters and stuff waiting for her outside and I thought maybe you could help her."

* * *

"This was a really good idea," Kaorin praised. "And thanks again for driving us home, Kurosawa-sensei," Kaorin said from the back seat of Nyamo's car.

"I couldn't really just throw you to the wolves," Nyamo humbly dismissed.

"Do you think they'll ever leave me alone?" Kaorin asked.

"You shouldn't worry about that," the gym teacher assured. "There will be something new in no time and they'll forget all about you. You just need to hang in there until they get bored with you."

"That's a relief," Kaorin mumbled with a sigh.

"I still don't understand what the big deal is," Kagura scoffed. "Models and stuff get plastic surgery and that kind of thing all the time."

"And the media goes nuts every time too," Nyamo pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Kagura admitted as an embarrassed blush crossed her face.

"This is your street?" Nyamo interrupted as she took a turn.

"Yeah," the catgirl admitted as she perked up. "My house is..." Kaorin started as her face fell, "the one with all the reporters in front of it."

"They're really persistent," Nyamo admitted. "Do you want me to drop you off somewhere else?"

"Drop us off around the corner," Kagura requested before turning to face Kaorin. "I'll distract them so you can slip in," Kagura assured Kaorin with a thumbs up and a smile.

Obliging to her prized student's request, Nyamo slowed the car to a stop just after turning the corner. "You two take care, all right?"

"Sure," the sporty girl said as she jumped out of the car. "Thanks again for helping!" Kagura said with a big smile.

"Yeah," Kaorin chimed in as she exited the car in a far less exuberant style, "Thank you Kurosawa-sensei." Nyamo waved to the girls as she took off for her own home. After watching the car disappear around another corner, Kaorin turned to Kagura. "So…" Kaorin started a little skeptically, "What exactly was the plan?" Kagura looked thoughtful for a moment before scratching her head. Then she wrapped her hand around her chin and tilted her head. "You don't have a plan do you?" Kaorin snapped.

"I just need to distract them for you," Kagura defended. "I just…dunno how to do that," she muttered as she averted her gaze and rubbed the back of her head. Kagura only intended to help her new, albeit strange, friend. Now she was starting to feel guilty that she may have gotten Kaorin into another pinch.

"Maybe you could fake a heart attack or something?" Kaorin suggested as she tried to make the best of the situation.

"I'm sixteen! Not sixty!" Kagura countered, somehow offended.

Kaorin sweatdropped. "I'm not asking you to have a heart attack, just pretend," she explained. "Even if it is unlikely it should still grab their attention."

"Don't you have any other ideas?" Kagura asked. "This seems really dumb."

"You're the one that had a plan with zero details!" Kaorin countered before pushing Kagura around the corner. "Be sure to ham it up!" she hissed.

Kagura obliged as she took off in a jog towards the paparazzi. In the few dozen seconds it took her to reach the group she had gone through what she should do in a panic and in the end she ran right by and around the corner, unable to bring herself to do it. "Kaorin's gonna be pissed when I get back around," Kagura mumbled herself as she proceeded to round the block back towards where she left Kaorin.

"You didn't do anything!" Kaorin scolded as Kagura approached.

"Sorry," Kagura apologized with a small bow. "I just panicked. When I got there I just couldn't do it." Kaorin let out an irritated sigh. Both girls stood in silence as they tried to come up with a new plan. "Do you think I could go punch one of them without getting into too much trouble?" Kagura uselessly asked.

Kaorin shook her head as she peered around the corner at the group awaiting her. "That'd probably be a really bad idea." "Eep!" Kaorin suddenly yelped as she jumped back and began running around the block in the opposite direction Kagura had run.

Kagura was about to ask what Kaorin was doing when she was nearly trampled by the group of paparazzi that had apparently spotted Kaorin. "That's a really good idea!" Kagura marveled as she moved in the opposite direction of the commotion. Kagura casually strolled up to the residence with the Aida nameplate, made her way to the door, and knocked.

As Aida opened the door she found a girl she didn't recognize, but from the looks of her uniform she was a classmate of her daughter's. "I'm sorry," Aida said with a small bow, "Kaori isn't home yet since she has astronomy club today."

Kagura shook her head. "She's gonna be here any second," she explained as she thrust a thumb over her shoulder. "You should leave the door open for her 'cause there are a bunch of reporters chasing her."

As if on cue, a loud commotion could be heard before a panicked Kaorin appeared as she scrambled for the door. Both Aida and Kagura moved aside as she rushed into the house and slammed the door shut. While she was only trying to keep the press out, it was Kagura's face the door was shut in…literally. Kagura once again knocked on the door and once again Aida opened it. "Oh dear, are you all right?" she asked as she noticed Kagura holding her now bloody nose. "Why don't you come in so you can get it cleaned up?" she offered as she opened the door just wide enough for Kagura to get in before shutting and locking it behind her.

"Kaorin can move really quickly when she needs to, huh?" Kagura observed as she awkwardly took off her shoes with one hand while keeping the other on her face. Somehow Kaorin had managed to remove her shoes and disappear somewhere into the house in just a few seconds.

"The bathroom is this way," Aida said as she escorted Kaorin there to treat her nose. After leading Kagura to the bathroom Aida excused herself and left Kagura alone.

"She owes me big time," Kagura muttered as she stuffed tissue into her nose to block the flow of blood.

Aida made her way to her daughter's room to inform her of Kagura's situation. She was more than a little irritated when she opened the door to Kaorin's room to find Chihiro and her daughter sitting in what appeared to be the aftermath of a cyclone made entirely of clothes. "What's with this mess?" Aida demanded.

"I didn't do it," Kaorin defended as she sent a glare in Chihiro's direction.

"Thanks to her tail none of her clothes fit right," Chihiro defended. She then held up a pair of scissors and snapped them open and closed for emphasis. "So we need to cut tail holes for her," she explained as she once again focused on her task.

Aida let out a frustrated sigh. "Kaori, you have another guest," Kaorin's mother informed her. "She's in the bathroom patching up her nose." And with that Aida departed without further explanation.

"I'll be back in a minute, Chihiro-chan," Kaorin said as she dismissed herself. In truth she wasn't at all happy with Chihiro's decision to butcher all her clothes. Apparently her mother had let her in some time ago and Chihiro decided it was a good idea all on her own. "Oh, and don't you _dare_ cut up any of my favorite clothes!" Kaorin warned.

"I know you're banking on that thing going away, but I just know that tail is here to stay!" Chihiro informed Kaorin as she left the room.

Kaorin approached the bathroom to find Kagura washing the excess blood from her face and hands. "Kagura-san?" Kaorin inquired, "What happened to you! Was it those reporters?"

"It was you," Kagura muttered in a nasally voice before wiping her wet hands on her skirt. "You hit me with the door," she explained as Kaorin handed her a hand towel to dry off with.

"Did I really?" Kaorin sheepishly asked as her ears folded back. Kagura only nodded as her face was hidden behind the towel. "I'm really sorry!" she apologized with a deep bow.

"I guess this makes us even for that thing at the pool," Kagura surmised as she handed the towel back to Kaorin.

"I really do owe you a lot," the catgirl admitted as she tossed the towel into a nearby hamper. "Why…Why are you helping me so much?" Kaorin asked as she looked away. "I mean, we don't even really know each other."

"Friends help each other," Kagura said with a smile, "and we're friends now, right?"

"Kagura-san," Kaorin mumbled.

"Just 'Kagura' is fine," the sporty girl assured with a smile.

"Ka-Kagura," Kaorin restated, "Thank you."

"Still, I did wanna talk to you," Kagura said as she scratched the back of her head. "You see, about Sakaki," Kagura started, unsure how to convey her concerns.

"You don't want to talk to her for me?" Kaorin guessed with more than a little disappointment evident in her voice and features.

"It's not that," Kagura defended as she put her hands up. "Sakaki doesn't talk much," she said as she tried and failed to get Kaorin to understand.

"Yeah, it's really cool," Kaorin marveled as she quickly rebounded.

Kagura wasn't sure what to do and was taken aback at how quickly her new friend's demeanor changed. "So, can we talk about it?" Kagura asked after a moment of Kaorin staring through her with a strange look on her face and possibly a stranger fantasy going through her head.

"Oh!" Kaorin exclaimed as she snapped out of her daze, "My room's this way."

In Kaorin's room, Chihiro had just made the first cut into her friend's favorite pair of panties as Kaorin and Kagura entered. "My panties!" Kaorin cried out as she snatched the prized possession away from Chihiro. She started to get teary as she held them up and peered through the new hole. "I told you not to cut any of my favorites!" Kaorin wailed.

"So you planned on never wearing them again?" Chihiro asked rhetorically. She dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "Even if that tail did appear overnight I just _know_ that it won't go away so easily."

"If it does I swear I'll get revenge," Kaorin warned dangerously.

"Umm," Kagura spoke up. The athletic girl stood completely forgotten in the doorway with a blush on her face.

At hearing Kagura both girls turned to her and Kaorin blushed and hid her panties behind her back. "S-Sorry Kagura," Kaorin apologized as she ushered a baffled Kagura into her room. "Excuse the mess," she started to explain. "Chihiro thought it would be fun to modify all my clothes so they aren't as uncomfortable on this damned thing," Kaorin said as she held up her tail and pointed to it.

"W-Why is Kagura-san here?" Chihiro asked, suddenly nervous.

"Kagura is going to help me get closer to Sakaki," Kaorin informed her intrusive friend, "Right, Kagura?"

"I still don't know how I'm gonna do that," Kagura replied nervously as she scratched her head.

"We'll figure something out," Kaorin confidently stated just before a loud crack of thunder reached their ears.

-Next time-

Alone in her room, Sakaki sat at her desk as she mechanically tried to do her homework. A sudden crack of thunder caused her jump and brought her from her reverie. She just couldn't bring herself to focus on it. A certain pair of ears continued to cause her attention to sway. "Today started out so well too," Sakaki sadly observed. She dropped her pencil as she gave up for now. Sakaki couldn't help but let her hand stray up to her still red cheek as she recalled the scolding she had received not long ago. "Why?" Sakaki questioned out loud as she dropped her head down upon her desk and did her best to keep her tears from falling.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter will probably focus soley on Sakaki and it will introduce this story's antagonist. Every story needs a bad guy. That's what keeps things interesting. Provided writer's block doesn't kick me in the head again, the next chapter should be ready in a week or so. Not alot of comedy in this chapter and, if it goes as planned, zero in the next. A lighthearted atmosphere might return after that, but it's too soon to tell now.


	8. Consequences

A/N: Well, here it is finally. Although I'm not entirely happy with it. It's kind of mean and depressing and just a bit short. The next chapter should be much brighter...and longer.

* * *

Alone in her room, Sakaki sat at her desk as she mechanically tried to do her homework. However, she just couldn't bring herself to focus on it. A certain pair of ears continued to cause her attention to sway. "Today started out so well too," Sakaki sadly observed. She dropped her pencil as she gave up for now. Sakaki couldn't help but let her hand stray up to her still red cheek as she recalled the scolding she had received not long ago. "Why?" Sakaki questioned out loud as she dropped her head down upon her desk and did her best to keep her tears from falling.

* * *

-Flashback-

As Sakaki arrived home she was elated to find her front door unlocked. It could only mean that her mother was home. She couldn't help but allow a little smile to appear on her lips. "I'm home!" Sakaki yelled with a little bit of happy expectation in her voice as she entered the house and removed her shoes. Her euphoria quickly came crashing down when her mother appeared with a scowl on her face. She was a surprisingly small woman, not even coming up to her daughter's shoulders. With a well groomed short hairstyle, an immaculate business suit, and a smart pair of glasses accenting her face the elder Sakaki's figure screamed seriousness. Sakaki's smile faded into her normal façade as she gave a respectful bow. "Okaa-san," she greeted with no signs of emotion in her voice. As soon as she straightened from her bow the taste of blood reached her lips. Sakaki quickly fell back into a proper standing position as she rebounded from the slap with amazing grace and calmness.

"Until today, how many tardies have received this year?" her mother demanded as she folded her arms over her chest and sent her daughter a withering glare even though Sakaki towered over her by several centimeters.

"None," Sakaki responded as she did her best not to look into the fierce glare.

"Answer me properly!" Sakaki's mother barked.

"Until today, I have not received any tardies," Sakaki stated in a calm, emotionless tone.

"And how many did you receive today?" she goaded.

"I-" Sakaki hesitated. Her head snapped to the side as a slap once more sounded throughout the empty house. The same as last time Sakaki positioned herself into a normal position without hesitation. "She's really angry with me," Sakaki mentally registered, "Why?" It's true that her mother demanded she do well in school, but still, she should not have been _this_ upset.

"How many tardies did you receive today?" the elder Sakaki dangerously repeated.

"I received two tardies today," Sakaki sheepishly admitted. Sakaki couldn't help but flinch as her mother once more raised her hand, but this time instead she took a deep breath and lowered her arm.

* * *

Sakaki sat up again. "If I don't work on this…" Sakaki thought as she once more brought her pencil to paper and tried her best to push her straying thoughts from the forefront of her mind. She flinched as she heard her door open, but did her best to pretend she wasn't aware of her mother's presence.

"Good," Sakaki's mother praised, "You're still diligently doing your schoolwork."

"Yes," Sakaki simply responded as she never took her eyes off of her task. She was far less interested in actually doing her work and much more concerned with not angering her mother any more than she already had.

"Does it still hurt?" the elder Sakaki asked as her features softened.

"It doesn't hurt," Sakaki lied. Although physically it was nothing more than a lingering tingle, it still hurt quite a bit emotionally. Despite feeling angry about the situation, in no way could Sakaki hold a bit of contempt for her mother.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," her mother genuinely apologized. "It's just that if you keep making mistakes like these you will never be able to get into Toudai. And if you don't get into Toudai how are you to find a successful young man to marry and settle down with?"

"I don't want to go to Toudai," Sakaki thought bitterly. She could never bring herself to say those words though. Ever since she was small her mother had always groomed her to be the best at everything. Her mother loved nothing more than bragging to her neighbors and her coworkers of her daughter's accomplishments. But the sad truth was that Sakaki never really accomplished anything; it was all her mother's doing. "I don't want this."Another phrase Sakaki could never bring herself to say.

Deciding that her daughter had nothing more to say her mother continued. "I do hope you know I don't like being harsh with you, but I simply cannot allow you to throw everything away you have been working so hard to accomplish."

Finally looking away from the work she was pretending to do she noticed her mother had her bag with her. "You are going back to work?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes," the elder Sakaki said simply. "I trust you can take care of yourself," she said as she turned to leave. "Do not slip in your academic responsibilities again. And I had better not ever see you with that _thing_ either."

Sakaki bit her tongue. "Yes, Okaa-san," she assured as her mother left for what was sure to be another all-nighter. Reluctantly, Sakaki turned back to her work as her mind began to drift again.

* * *

-Flashback-

Sakaki was relieved to see her mother calm herself down, however it seemed that the lecture wasn't quite finished yet. "And just _why_ did you receive two tardies today?"

Maybe this could be a chance to redeem herself. Surely her mother would understand that she was helping someone who was in dire need. "I was late because I was helping my friend to-" she was cut off as her head snapped to the side for the third time.

"That _freak_ is _not_ your friend!" Sakaki's mother insisted. "_Everyone_ saw you with that _thing_ on television today! Do you know humiliating that was for me? For you?" she yelled.

"Kaorin isn't a freak!" Sakaki retorted. An act of rebellion was unheard of for Sakaki. Her mother was so taken aback she couldn't speak or even move for a few seconds as her face contorted into shock before slowly making its way back to anger.

"You are forbidden from going near that _thing_, do I make myself clear?" her mother said in a steady, low, and dangerous voice.

Sakaki hesitated. How could her mother make such a demand? "Okaa-san, please-"

"No!" the older Sakaki cut her off. "If you want friends go find more nice girls like that Mihama girl, but do not ever let yourself be seen with that freak again!"

* * *

"She cares more about how others see us than my feelings," Sakaki silently decided. She hated this. She was living a life that she had no say in. Her mother always decided everything for her, and because Sakaki loved her mother dearly she silently played along even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. "Not anymore," Sakaki decided as looked down on her paper to see a crude drawing of a familiar girl. Sakaki let out a sigh. It wasn't really all that bad. So long as she did well in school her mother allowed her to freely pursue her own interests. Her room was a shining example filled with small, fuzzy, and cute things that Sakaki absolutely adored. "Where is the middle ground?" Sakaki mumbled out loud.

* * *

The next day came quickly for Kaorin. Having stayed up most of the previous night in fear that she would continue to transform into a cat she easily fell asleep despite lingering fears and anticipation. Kaorin's mother had informed her the previous evening that she would get to see her doctor today after all. It would seem the media coverage had at least a little bit of a silver lining as it convinced her doctor to clear his schedule to see her. "I'll finally get some answers," Kaorin assured herself as she stared at her reflection. Her only regret was that now she wouldn't be able to conspire with Kagura. "I hope she doesn't screw everything up," Kaorin thought bitterly as she turned to exit the room.

* * *

Even though it was early, Kagura had already joined Sakaki as she made her way to the shopping center. She had received word from Kaorin that she was going to be unable to join them and now Kagura was unsure if she could do this on her own. "Sakaki," Kagura started, but hesitated as the taller girl sent her a glance that looked to be much more like a glare. Sakaki was on edge for some reason and to Kagura it seemed like an incredible aura of anger was emanating from her friend. "Never mind," the athletic girl dismissed as she walked alongside Sakaki. "This feels more like some kind of punishment than hanging out," Kagura thought.

Sakaki couldn't help but feel anxious. After thinking it over Sakaki decided to defy her mother and continue to associate with Kaorin, even if she had to keep it under wraps. It would be fine so long as no one her mother knew found out, right? After all, it was only her mother's and her own image that concerned her, not Kaorin herself. Sakaki was so far away that she didn't notice that someone had been trying to get her attention for some time.

"Miss, a word please?" the reporter asked for what felt like the umpteenth time.

This time it _was_ a glare that Sakaki sent as she looked at the reporter with as much malice as possible. "Go away," she demanded.

Despite having covered hundreds of stories and being in dozens of hairy situations the simple glare of this intimidating woman sent a chill through his heart the likes of which he had never experienced. "Y-Y-Yes ma'am," the man faltered as he fled. "That was the scariest thing I've ever seen!" he mumbled once out of earshot as he clutched at his rapidly beating heart.

"She really is worked up over something," Kagura mentally noted as she cast a glance at Sakaki. Never before had Kagura seen Sakaki this upset about anything. "Um," she bravely spoke up, "Are you okay?" She received no response. Deciding against reason, Kagura continued, "You just seem like something is bothering you. Maybe I can help."

Sakaki considered it for a moment, but decided that Kagura couldn't be of any help. Kagura didn't know Kaorin any better than herself, right? The tall girl shook her head to dismiss Kagura's offer. "No," she explained, "I still have to figure this out."

Kagura didn't take long to give up on understanding her friend's cryptic words. With a sigh she dismissed herself. "I guess I should go," the tomboy said as she began to part ways with Sakaki, "If you're feeling better let's hang out tomorrow instead." She couldn't help but feel guilty as she walked away. Not only had she failed to acquire any insight for Kaorin, she also was unable to help Sakaki who seemed to be troubled by something. "I've never seen her so upset," Kagura mumbled as she retrieved her cell phone to inform Kaorin of her failure. "Maybe I should've stuck with her anyway," she thought as she began to send a text message to Kaorin.

Sakaki was both relieved and irritated. She was happy that Kagura had left her alone, but at the same time Sakaki couldn't help but feel guilty about it. The tall girl shook her head as she tried to clear her mind. "I can go there now," she mentally reassured herself as she changed direction and headed for a familiar alley.

-Next time-

Kaorin couldn't help but sigh at the text she had received. She just knew Kagura would blow it, but somehow that's not what bothered her most. Instead she couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with Sakaki. Her reverie was interrupted, however, as her doctor reentered the room. After looking down at his charts and then back to Kaorin and her mother he let out a sigh. "Well, we have some good news and some bad news," he informed them.

* * *

A/N: Long rant, you have been warned. First off I found it strange that the word "tardies" isn't in any dictionary and the word "tardy" is never a noun. Upon further research I found that the noun form is a word that is, apparently, only really used in the United States. In any case, be it slang or not, the word tardy as a noun is a recorded instance of being tardy. I wanted to find another phrasing that worked, but alas, I couldn't figure it out so I stuck with "tardies" and I hope that this did not cause any confusion. As for Sakaki's mother, I've tried my best to portray her as someone who is obsessed with "keeping up with the Joneses" and as someone who is living vicariously through her daughter. I will delve deeper into her character and the relationship between mother and daughter in later chapters. As for Kaorin and Sakaki, it may be awhile before their relationship progresses much. Which I think is kind of good in a way. An unnaturally fast pace usually turns me off, but at the same time I can't allow the storyline to become stale either. Writing this is a lot harder than my other story. Finally, I usually try to keep the updates between this and my other story more or less even, but there seems to be a large and noticable dropoff in interest in this story. It may come to pass that I'll put this on the back burner, so to speak, and focus much more on my other story, but I do plan on seeing this one through. It just may take awhile.


	9. Lab Cat

A/N: Here's the newest chapter. It's a little on the short side and I apologize for that.

* * *

Kaorin couldn't help but sigh at the text she had received. She just knew Kagura would blow it, but somehow that's not what bothered her most. Instead she couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with Sakaki. Her reverie was interrupted, however, as her doctor reentered the room. After looking down at his charts and then back to Kaorin and her mother he let out a sigh. "Well, we have some good news and some bad news," he informed them.

"Did you find out how this happened to me?" Kaorin expectantly asked as her ears perked up.

"Well…no," the doctor effectively shot down Kaorin's hopes as the catgirl's ears and tail drooped. "But, we still have several tests to run still. With any luck we'll come up with something by day's end."

"So…that's the bad news then?" Kaorin mumbled, "Or is it the good news?"

"Ah," the doctor said with a nervous smile, "It's neither." "This news is just regarding your hearing exam," he informed her as he looked again to the girl's chart. "The good news is that your hearing is off the charts. You were able to hear even the faintest of noises."

"Yeah," Kaorin interrupted, "It's kind of annoying really. I always get distracted if I try to concentrate or anything like that."

"So what's the bad news?" Aida asked with more than a little worry evident in her voice.

"Well," the doctor started, "Although her hearing seems to be very sharp, she seems unable to localize sounds." He noticed that Kaorin looked a little sheepish. "You're already aware of this, aren't you?" Kaorin nodded. "You will have to be cautious," the doctor warned, "Since you cannot locate the source of sounds it could potentially put you in danger."

"Will it go away?" Kaorin asked as her gaze never left the floor.

The doctor let out a sigh. "It's impossible to tell," he explained, "Honestly, we're in uncharted territory here." When Kaorin made no move to respond the doctor continued, "We have a full body scan scheduled for you in just a few minutes." The doctor then escorted the two women out of his office.

* * *

Sakaki stared incredulously at the door to the abandoned building where so many cats had taken up shelter. The door was taped off with caution tape and there was a condemned sign attached. The sign clearly stated that the building was to be torn down in two days. "It can't be true," Sakaki thought in disbelief. The tall girl angrily tore away the tape and forced her way inside.

Unlike the few other times she had set foot inside this building, this time when she entered she was not greeted with the usual hisses and growls. "Did they already leave?" Sakaki wondered as she looked about. Her answer was given to her quickly as she saw several cats darting about in the shadows. "You all have to leave here," Sakaki announced, "It's dangerous to stay here!" Of course, her pleas had no effect aside from causing a few cats to seek better shelter. Sakaki sighed as she noticed that none of the cats were going to listen to her. "I have to save them myself," she assured herself.

After a couple of hours of attempting to escort cats out of the building, Sakaki was starting to realize that maybe she needed a little help. She laid, face down, sprawled out in the alley just outside the building with countless claw and bite marks all about her. "I need her help," Sakaki thought as the cat she had just brought out of the building callously walked over top of her and jumped back inside through a broken window.

* * *

During a lapse between tests Aida and Kaorin took the opportunity to eat lunch. "I can't believe they still haven't found anything," Kaorin mumbled as she played with her food in the hospital cafeteria.

Aida shared in her daughter's vexation. She had signed off on what had to be a dozen different tests and each time the doctor had nothing to show for Kaorin's time, pain, and humiliation. Although she had already passed the point where she would continue with this charade, Kaorin was much more eager to get to the bottom of things. But it seemed that even Kaorin was running out of steam. "Kaori, you should hurry up and eat," Aida prodded, "They'll undoubtedly want you again pretty soon."

"I can't," the catgirl protested, "It's too hot."

"Is it that you don't want to continue?" Aida asked a little too hopefully. "If you've had enough we can just go home."

"No," Kaorin protested, "I still want to find out how this happened." "It really is just too hot," she mumbled as she continued to simply stare at her meal.

"It's not that hot," Aida contested. After a moment of thought an idea struck her. "A cat's tongue?"

"Please don't put it that way!" Kaorin wailed a little too emotionally.

"But you never used to be sensitive to-"

"I know!" Kaorin interrupted as she struggled to keep her emotions under control.

"It's her!" an overly enthusiastic voice resounded through the hospital cafeteria. At first Kaorin was afraid that it was another member of the media, but instead a young man in a white coat emerged from the crowd waving to her like an idiot. Although he wore the symbolic white coat, nothing else about him seemed professional. His posture and manner of speech were akin to that of Tomo, his face was soiled from the meal he'd been eating, and even his brown hair and casual clothes were disheveled in a careless manner. "You're that catgirl aren't you?" the young doctor asked as he approached Kaorin and her mother. Without even waiting for them to respond, he violated Kaorin's personal space as he reached out and rubbed the girl's cat ears. "Wow!"

"Excuse me," Aida growled with as much malice as possible, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh!" the doctor exclaimed as her withdrew his hands, "I'm sorry." He looked a little sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "I got a little carried away," he said as he bowed, "I've just been dying to get a good look at this girl since I first saw her on TV."

"And just who are you?" Kaorin angrily demanded as she absentmindedly groomed her ears in a most catlike manner.

"That's really cute!" he exclaimed, much to Kaorin's horror. As soon as she realized what she was doing Kaorin blushed a deep crimson and forced herself to stop grooming her ears.

"Kids," Aida thought bitterly as she saw the doctor staring at Kaorin with a goofy smile and Kaorin staring down with a blush. "Your name," Aida irately reminded the doctor.

"Oh!" he exclaimed as he snapped back to reality. "I'm Matsuda Kei. I'm doing my residency at this hospital." He then gestured to Kaorin, "Your name is Aida Kaori, right?" Kaorin only nodded as she finally started eating. "When you're finished eating would you mind if I ran some tests?" he genuinely asked Kaorin with a charming smile, "I'd just love to figure you out!"

Kaorin and Aida both shook their heads at the same time. "Sorry Matsuda-sensei, but my daughter is only taking a break from testing," Aida informed him, "_Our_ doctor is seeing to her."

Instead of being put off, Kei took a seat right next to Kaorin. "That means she's already been through some testing," the young doctor pointed out as he sat informally next to Kaorin and, of all things, picked up a morsel from Kaorin's plate and plopped it into his mouth.

As Kei tried for another scrap of food Kaorin made sure to slap his hand away. "You really don't have any manners at all do you?" Kaorin asked in a condescending tone before shoving more food into her own mouth.

Kei shrugged his scolding off without a second thought. "So," he asked with a seriousness neither woman thought he could possess, "did your doctor find anything?"

Aida shook her head while Kaorin tried to covertly scoot away from Kei. "He said that we should take lunch while he goes over the results with a few specialists," Aida explained.

"No way!" Kei shouted indignantly, "Why wouldn't he want my opinion!"

"You don't look old enough to be a specialist in anything," Aida berated.

"You don't look old enough to be a doctor at all!" Kaorin angrily pointed out.

"Matsuda-kun!" a familiar voice shouted. It was Aida and Kaorin's doctor. He approached the table and gestured to Kei, "What the hell are you doing here! You were supposed to be off today!"

"I sensed something was amiss, so I switched with Amano," he informed the doctor as he used the opportunity to snatch more food from Kaorin's plate while she was distracted. "I knew you were trying to hide something from me!" Kei exclaimed with a mouthful of food as he draped an arm around Kaorin and pointed to her for emphasis. "Why didn't you tell me that the catgirl was one of your patients?"

"Please don't do that!" Kaorin ordered as she threw Kei's arm off of herself, "And I have a name!"

"I'm terribly sorry," Kaorin's doctor apologized, "I tried to keep this reprobate from finding out about all of this."

Aida quickly changed the subject. "So did you find out anything?" she asked the doctor.

"Ah, right," Kaorin's doctor acknowledged, "When you've finished eating please come to my office." He turned to leave, but took a moment to look back over his shoulder. "And Matsuda-kun, that invitation does _not_ apply to you." And with that the doctor left the cafeteria.

"So he didn't find out anything after all," Kei observed.

"You don't know that!" Kaorin argued. "And stop taking my food!" she yelled as she slapped Kei's encroaching hand again.

Kei was suddenly distracted by his beeper. "Shit," he cursed as he looked at the device. "I have to go," he excused himself as he grabbed one last morsel from Kaorin's plate. "When your doctor gives up on you, Kaori-chan, you can always come to me!" he said as he plopped the food in his mouth and offered another charming smile. "I'll figure out what's going on. I'm a genius after all!"

"What a strange doctor," Aida mumbled as Kei walked off and offered a little wave to the two women.

-Next time-

In their doctor's office Aida and Kaorin sat with expectant smiles on their faces. After all, the doctor had put Kaorin though a dozen tests. Surely the doctor would have found out something with all that data. Maybe now they would find out what caused Kaorin's condition or even find some sort of cure. "Well," the doctor said as looked around at the various charts, diagrams, and other data from Kaorin's tests, "After sorting through all of this data my colleagues and myself have found…absolutely nothing." Both Aida and Kaorin nearly fell out of their seats. "I'm really sorry," he apologized. "We can try running more tests, but I wouldn't really recommend it," the doctor explained, "With all of this and not one clue, I'm not sure if any other test could possibly shed any light on your daughter's condition."

* * *

A/N: And nothing happened between Kaorin and Sakaki! I wanted to have Sakaki call Kaorin at lunch about the abandoned house, but then I realized that they hadn't exchanged numbers yet. Next chapter though Sakaki will probably get ahold of Kaorin. For anyone that may not understand, in Japan it's said that cats can't stand hot food and anyone who is sensitive to hot things is said to have a cat's tongue. Love him or hate him, Kei will appear in the next chapter, but probably won't appear after that for a long time. I'm not good at coming up with names, but I'm pretty sure Kei is a boy's name and that Matsuda is a family name. I'm not totally certain on either count though. I also have no clue if doctors in Japan have to go through a residency either. I guess I skipped over a lot of my homework this time around. I usually do at least a little research on anything I'm not 100% certain on. Next chapter should be longer and will probably have Sakaki and Kaorin together again. If not then the one after that will certainly be all about them together.


	10. Medical Travesty

A/N: A thousand apologies for the long wait. Writer's block had me crippled for quite some time. But today I found my muse and finished the second half of this chapter in just a few hours! Hopefully my luck will hold out for a bit longer.

* * *

In their doctor's office Aida and Kaorin sat with expectant smiles on their faces. After all, the doctor had put Kaorin though a dozen tests. Surely the doctor would have found out something with all that data. Maybe now they would find out what caused Kaorin's condition or even find some sort of cure. "Well," the doctor said as looked around at the various charts, diagrams, and other data from Kaorin's tests, "After sorting through all of this data my colleagues and myself have found…absolutely nothing." Both Aida and Kaorin nearly fell out of their seats. "I'm really sorry," he apologized. "We can try running more tests, but I wouldn't really recommend it," the doctor explained, "With all of this and not one clue, I'm not sure if any other test could possibly shed any light on your daughter's condition."

"That doctor was right!" Kaorin exclaimed in both indignation and disbelief, "You are giving up on me!"

"I was very excited when I learned of your condition," the doctor confessed, "I was hoping maybe it could be a unique case that could help us learn more, but it seems that after all this work we can't figure out anything." While Aida looked almost relieved at the news, Kaorin seemed to be absolutely livid as she continued to glare at him. "Listen, It's not like this condition is any more than a slight impediment and in no way a medical emergency," he explained, "Your medical bills will quickly pile up if you keep pursuing this and I honestly don't see any discoveries to be worth the expense."

Kaorin visibly deflated as she looked guiltily to her mother. "I-I understand," Kaorin mumbled and looked to the floor as her tail and ears drooped.

"You bastard!" Kei shouted as he loudly barged into the office, "You had me paged just to get rid of me!"

The doctor cradled his head in his hands as he let out a long sigh. "If you've figured out that much, then why didn't you take the hint and leave us be?" he rhetorically asked before motioning to Kaorin and her mother, "It would appear as though these two have already decided to forgo further testing, so you're wasting your time here anyway."

"Giving up after half a day of testing?" Kei scoffed as he put a hand on Kaorin's shoulder, "I know Kaori-chan here isn't as quick to give up as you are."

Kaorin slapped the hand away. "I don't really want to give up, but I don't think we can afford to keep pushing this," the catgirl sadly admitted as she cast a glance to her mother.

"Nonsense!" Kei argued.

"Insurance isn't going to cover anything else," Kaorin's doctor pointed out, "Hell, it probably won't even cover half of what we already did!"

"We both know that there ways around things like that," Kei suggested with a knowing smile, "Why just last week you-"

"Enough!" the doctor interrupted as he slammed a file onto the edge of his desk, "If you want this so badly then take it!" As Kei triumphantly picked up Kaorin's file the doctor sat back in his chair and cradled his head in his hands again. "You're wasting your time pursuing this, all of you," Kaorin's doctor seriously warned. "And you," he continued dangerously as he pointed to Kei, "go ahead and bend the rules for this girl, but you know full well that there are a lot of people here that would love nothing more than to see you twisting in the wind."

"Yeah," Kei dismissed nonchalantly as he flipped through the file, "but most of them don't have a pair. And let's not forget that there are also a lot of people here that would love nothing more than to suck up to me."

The doctor shook his head before turning back to Kaorin and her mother. "You two are getting into bed with the devil with this one," he cautioned as he motioned to Kei who was engrossed with the file in his hands. "For a genius this guy is the biggest idiot I've ever seen," he continued to explain, "He doesn't give a damn about you. He's only chasing after his own delusions."

Kaorin looked back and forth between her doctor and Kei as she weighed her options. "It's your decision," Aida encouraged as Kaorin debated.

"I-I'll take my chances with Matsuda-sensei," Kaorin sheepishly announced after a few more seconds of pondering.

"Great!" Kei loudly announced as he snapped the file shut. He made his way to the door and motioned for Kaorin to follow. "We'll continue things in my office," Kei offered with a smile. Kaorin reluctantly got up and made her way towards the young doctor and her mother followed after her. "Send the rest of the stuff on Kaori-chan to my office," Kei ordered as he escorted the two women out of the office.

* * *

Now sporting a copious amount of bandages, Sakaki sat down on a bench with a sigh. No way were those cats going to listen to her and if she didn't do something a lot of them could end up in some big trouble. "Should I go to her house?" the tall girl wondered to herself. She didn't have any other way of contacting the catgirl and if Sakaki recalled correctly then Kaorin had astronomy club tomorrow. "If we don't help them today…" she anxiously fretted.

"Help who?" a concerned voice next to her asked.

Alarmed, Sakaki quickly turned to see a familiar face sitting next to her. "Inoue-san," Sakaki acknowledged in a surprisingly calm tone.

Chihiro was baffled by the sight before her. Sakaki was covered in bandages and was mumbling something about helping someone. Chihiro couldn't help but to fantasize an image much more akin to one of Kaorin's fantasies. It took the rattled girl a minute to realize she must've been staring at Sakaki for some time with a stupid look on her face. "Ahahaha," Chihiro laughed nervously as she apologized with a visible blush on her face, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something stupid." Receiving no response, Chihiro nervously felt the need to continue talking to fill the uncomfortable silence. "You said something about helping someone," she blurted out, "Who needs help? Is everything okay?"

"About that…" Sakaki started.

* * *

"_This_ is your office?" Kaorin berated as she took in the horrid sight. While the room was bigger and was originally more luxurious than her doctor's, it had clearly fallen into chaos. Junk food, various papers, and a plethora of manga books were strewn all of the room and occupying every available surface.

Kei adopted a smug grin. "Yeah, it's even bigger and nicer than that old fart's office, isn't it?" he boated.

"It's a mess," Kaorin complained as she held her nose in an attempt to ward off the offensive smell that permeated the air.

"It does look as though this room could use quite the cleaning," Aida observed as she tried her hardest to keep a straight face in light of the offensive atmosphere, "When was the last time the cleaning staff was in here?"

"The cleaning staff cleans this room every night," Kei informed them as he flopped down in his seat behind a desk stacked with papers and manga. "That's not the important thing to worry about though," he assured them, "Please take a seat."

"In just half a day," Kaorin thought in disbelief as she looked at the unpleasant prospect of cleaning off a chair to sit on. She debated whether or not she should try to take care of the mess in the nearest chair or simply dump it into the floor. Running out of patience, Kaorin simply grabbed the back of the chair and tilted it to the side causing all the garbage to fall off into the floor. On the top of the newly made pile of junk one of Kei's manga flipped open revealing an image that made Kaorin's face glow red. She quickly kicked the offensive object, thankfully closing it. "Are you even old enough to buy this kind of manga?" Kaorin demanded as a small trickle of blood started draining from her nose.

"Of course I am," Kei scoffed, "I just turned twenty last month!" He then pointed accusingly at Kaorin. "But I know you're too young to be looking at them!" he accosted, "So aren't _you_ the one who's out of line!"

"What?" Kaorin shouted as she dashed to Kei's desk and slammed her hands down on the uneven surface. "You're even more irritating than Tomo-chan!" she accosted the smug doctor.

Kei's self-important smile never faded for even a second as he stared at the flustered girl in front of him. "If you like it so much you can keep that one," he assured with that seemingly genuine smile that was both charismatic and irritating at the same time, "I've already thoroughly read it."

"That's incredibly inappropriate!" both Kaorin and her mother shouted at the same time.

At those words the door to Kei's office burst open revealing a professional looking woman in a suit with a briefcase in one hand and the other adjusting a stylish pair of glasses that adorned her face. She bowed deeply to both Kaorin and Aida. "I truly apologize for anything this idiot may have said or done," the woman sincerely apologized.

"Saeki-san, what are you doing here?" Kei playfully asked, "You weren't eavesdropping were you?"

"Of course not," the woman called Saeki refuted, "My 'Kei is about to incur another lawsuit' sense has been acting up since lunchtime. I just couldn't get away until now."

"Excuse me," a very baffled Aida interrupted, "But who are you and what is this all about?"

The woman reluctantly broke off her angry glare at Kei and put on a smile for Aida. "My name is Saeki Ryouko. I am this hospital's lawyer," she professionally introduced herself, "I used to be in charge of almost all of the legal matters here until this idiot arrived." She then pointed to an innocent looking Kei as her words began to drip with venom. "After he showed up, the hospital had to hire an extra two lawyers and my job has been stripped down to little more than babysitting this idiot and cleaning up all of his messes!"

"D-Don't worry," Kaorin dismissed as she reluctantly moved to the seat she had cleared off. "Matsuda-sensei is the only one that will see this through," Kaorin explained as she pointed to her ears for emphasis, "So I would be reluctant to sue him."

Saeki breathed a sigh of relief at Kaorin's words. She then closed the distance between the two of them and eyed Kaorin critically. "He's really interested in you, huh?" she carefully whispered to Kaorin. Not waiting for a response from the catgirl she continued, "Do me a favor? Can you keep this idiot as busy as you can? It would make things a lot easier for me if he's distracted by something like this."

"S-Sure," Kaorin assured, even though she wasn't entirely sure what this strange woman was asking of her.

"Don't worry about his childish behavior," Saeki assured, this time loud enough for everyone to hear, "Underneath his disgusting, irritating, perverted…um…anyways, despite all of his _obvious_ flaws he really is as smart as he claims. So I'm sure if you can put up with him then he should find the answer for you." With those words of reassurance and a covert wink to Kaorin, Saeki dismissed herself.

The three remaining occupants all breathed a sigh as soon as the door clicked closed. "Is this really okay?" Aida wondered to herself as she tried her best to reclaim her scattered wits. "This place is like a madhouse!"

"This place is as crazy as high school," Kaorin mentally observed as she stared at Kei wondering if they were finally at the end or if more nonsense was going to ensue.

This time, quite professionally, Kei opened the file and spoke with a sense of authority. "Well, from what this says most of the tests that have been performed are focused almost entirely on anatomy," he observed, "Not even one single blood test or even a urine sample." He then snapped the file shut as he shot a stern look at Kaorin. "So that's where we're going to start," he said as his smile quickly returned to his face, "And I'd like to get some DNA samples too."

"B-Blood tests?" Kaorin stammered as she visibly paled and her ears drooped.

"Yep," Kei assured as he got up, "So let's get to it." As he approached the door the two women also stood and began to follow the doctor. "Ah, Aida-san," he started as he held the door open for the girls, "You can wait in the waiting room if you please, or even just go home. You won't be needed any more."

Aida was once again quite baffled. "Don't I need to sign off on any of her tests?" Aida asked skeptically.

"What part of 'off the books' don't you understand?" Kei asked in a low voice so passerby would be unlikely to hear.

Aida understood, but it did little to quell the worry in her heart. And thought of leaving her daughter alone with this man only amplified her fears. "Kaori, are you sure you want this?" Aida sincerely asked her daughter.

After thinking it over for a moment, Kaorin put on a brave face and nodded. "After all, lawyer-san said that we can trust him," Kaorin assured her mother, "And I don't really have any other choice. I'm sure it will work out okay."

Aida looked from her daughter, to Kei, and back to Kaorin. "All right," she reluctantly agreed with a sigh, "I'll be in the waiting room." She then held up her cell phone. "If anything happens you call me, okay?"

"Sure thing," Kei answered in Kaorin's stead. He then opened his file. "Your number should be in here somewhere."

"I meant Kaori!" Aida hissed.

"I will," Kaorin assured her mother as Kei ushered her down the hall.

"Is this really okay?" Aida wondered to herself as she watched her daughter and the strangest doctor she had ever seen disappear down the corridor. At first Aida started back towards the waiting room, but instead stopped a small map to find a much more interesting location.

-Next time-

Kaorin sat restlessly in a small room. Kei had informed her to wait there until a nurse arrived to take her blood. She really, really wasn't looking forward to this. "I really hate needles," Kaorin whined aloud in the empty room. "Why couldn't that bastard just take the blood himself?" Kaorin wondered as she reluctantly looked about the room. Nothing in sight gave even the smallest bit of comfort. The poor catgirl sighed for what had to be the tenth time since she had been left alone. Kaorin suddenly perked up as she retrieved her vibrating cell phone from her pocket. At first she thought it was her mother, but when she looked at the display it was a number she had never seen before. Reflexively her finger moved to the ignore button, but she decided that anything that could get her mind off of the imminent loss of blood would be a good thing. She clicked the phone and held it awkwardly to her mouth. "Hello?" she asked before quickly moving the phone up to one of her cat ears.

* * *

A/N: Even though I was able to finish this chapter, I'm not terribly happy with it. Sakaki got very little face time, but cutting her scene short is basically how I defeated the writer's block. So I suppose it's a necessary evil. Next chapter should have more Sakaki and Kaorin development. And it should come sooner, provided I don't get struck repeatedly over the head with writer's block again. The character Saeki isn't an OC. She was my favorite character from the manga Strawberry Shake/Strawberry Shake Sweet. So I guess it's a cameo of sorts. She may reappear, but even if she does it will be a small part again.


	11. Eccentric Kei

A/N: It's been a while, but finally I have the next chapter ready. I wrote a large part of it while drunk, so I had a lot of cleaning up to do and it still doesn't read well in the second half, but I really don't want to have to work on it anymore. I'll go back and fix it later on.

* * *

Kaorin sat restlessly in a small room. Kei had informed her to wait there until a nurse arrived to take her blood. She really, really wasn't looking forward to this. "I really hate needles," Kaorin whined aloud in the empty room. "Why couldn't that bastard just take the blood himself?" Kaorin wondered as she reluctantly looked about the room. Nothing in sight gave even the smallest bit of comfort. The poor catgirl sighed for what had to be the tenth time since she had been left alone. Kaorin suddenly perked up as she retrieved her vibrating cell phone from her pocket. At first she thought it was her mother, but when she looked at the display it was a number she had never seen before. Reflexively her finger moved to the ignore button, but she decided that anything that could get her mind off of the imminent loss of blood would be a good thing. She clicked the phone and held it awkwardly to her mouth. "Hello?" she asked before quickly moving the phone up to one of her cat ears.

"Kaorin?" An unmistakable voice echoed from the small device.

"Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin exclaimed as she nearly dropped the phone in her excitement. She got a dreamy look on her face as she took in the situation. "Sakaki-san called me!" Her mind screamed as she nearly forgot the situation at hand was real and not some fantasy. "H-How did you know my phone number?" Kaorin stammered out as she realized that she hadn't ever given her idol the number to her cell phone.

"Um…Chihiro-san gave it to me," Sakaki awkwardly explained. "I'm sorry if I shouldn't have."

"No!" Kaorin exclaimed with a little too much enthusiasm. "I'm glad you called! You can call me anytime! Anytime!" She rambled on elatedly.

Despite the over eagerness of the catgirl, Sakaki was relieved that she was indeed welcome to call her new friend. But that wasn't the issue at hand. "Um…Are you busy?" Sakaki prodded.

"Actually, I'm in the hospital right now." Kaorin regretfully informed Sakaki.

It was Sakaki's turn to nearly drop her cell phone. "The hospital?" Sakaki anxiously asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" Kaorin quickly responded. "They're just doing tests to figure out what's going on with my ears and stuff."

Sakaki let out a sigh of relief. "Will it be over soon?"

"I'm not sure." Kaorin admitted. "I'm sorry."

Sakaki remained silent a moment as she considered what to say. "If you get a chance," she proceeded with trepidation, although Kaorin didn't pick up on the uncertainty in Sakaki's voice, "can you meet me at the cats' house?"

"Sure!" Kaorin thoughtlessly responded. "I'll come as soon as I can!" Only after she answered Sakaki did the entirety of the tall girl's request register. "Um…Where is the cats' house?" She sheepishly asked as soon as she realized she had no clue what Sakaki was talking about.

"The house with all the cats…" Sakaki answered her with disappointment evident in her voice. "You've forgotten already?" She couldn't put much of a reason to it, but just the thought that the catgirl had already forgotten the seemingly magical experience they had shared at that place caused Sakaki a strange pain in her chest that she couldn't identify.

"I haven't forgotten!" Kaorin insisted. "I just didn't realize what you were talking about." No sooner had those words left her mouth did the door to the small room give a click as it started to open. "I have to go now," Kaorin remorsefully informed Sakaki. "I'll meet you there as soon as I get a chance."

"Okay," Sakaki replied, "thanks."

When Kaorin looked up she saw, instead of a nurse, none other than Kei. "The nurse hasn't arrived yet," Kaorin informed him as she snapped her phone closed.

"Nurse?" Kei asked. He was baffled a moment before he let out a chuckle. "Oh," he said as he remembered, "that was a lie." "I just needed you to wait here until I finished dumping most of my other patients on some of my more gullible colleagues." He explained without a hint of remorse.

A vein on Kaorin's head began to throb. "You really are shameless aren't you?" She irately asked.

"I will be needing quite a bit of your blood though." He said, serious for once, as he dug around in a nearby drawer to reveal a needle and several vials that needed to be filled.

Kaorin paled as she saw the multiple vials, six in all. "You-You really need _that_ much?" Kaorin stammered as she subconsciously scooted away from the not-so-average doctor.

"I'll probably need more than this." Kei informed her as he brought out a strip of rubber, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and some cotton balls. "But I suppose it'll do for now."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakaki had contented herself to simply watch the cats come and go from the condemned building as she awaited Kaorin's return. She wished she had gotten at least some kind of estimate as to when Kaorin would be finished at the hospital. While Sakaki could have easily called her back and asked for one that would be not only rude, but may interrupt something important for her new friend.

She let out a lonely sigh, but almost immediately her mood turned around and a goofy smile appeared on her face as she watched a kitten clumsily fall out of one of the houses windows and flop down to the ground. Of course it landed on its feet. Sakaki was tempted to chase after the extra-cute cat, but dismissed the feeling as nothing more than a pipe dream, as it was already scampering away.

"Maybe I should have offered to wait for her at the hospital instead." Sakaki mumbled to herself as soon as she recovered from the overwhelmingly cute sight of the kitten. She dismissed the thought. Hospitals were scary and nothing in them was cute. When it comes to places she didn't like, hospitals had to be near the top of the list. Still, Sakaki felt as though she was abandoning Kaorin somehow. "I wonder what she's doing right now." Sakaki thought.

* * *

"Hmmm," Kei mumbled as he removed the last vial from the needle, "maybe I need a little more practice at this."

Poor Kaorin was pale and unmoving on the examination table. Several Band-aids dotted both of her arms and there was a copious amount of her blood here, there, and everywhere. "It-Is it over?" Kaorin wearily asked.

"Yeah, we're done with this part." Kei informed her as he considered changing into a less blood-soaked lab coat. "You really need to not squirm so much." He chided as he snapped off the bloody gloves and replaced them with a new pair. He then tidied up and labeled the various blood samples while Kaorin lay motionless on the examination table.

"I-I think I would have preferred a nurse." Kaorin wearily stated.

Kei chuckled as he rummaged around in a nearby drawer. "I'm just a little rusty," he claimed.

"You just said you needed practice!" Kaorin accused, finding her strength.

"I wonder," he dodged as he approached Kaorin. "Now, I need a few samples of your DNA." Kei claimed, quickly changing the subject.

"Fine," Kaorin begrudgingly agreed as she allowed Kei to swab her mouth and take a small sample from her ears as well as her tail. After he finished, Kei labeled and bundled the samples with her blood. "This will really help to find a cure for me?" Kaorin hopefully asked as she watched Kei assemble the samples.

"Not at all." He bluntly informed her.

Kaorin nearly fell off of the table. "W-What?"

"At best, this will help to understand your condition," Kei informed her, once again managing to sound like a real doctor. "As to the cause, and the cure, it probably won't help at all."

"Then what will?" Kaorin desperately questioned.

"I have my theories," Kei dismissed as he gathered up the samples and made for the door. "After I get these situated we can discuss them."

Kaorin gave him a quizzical look. "Just what do you know that all the other doctors don't?" She skeptically asked.

Kei paused and turned around after opening the door. "Maybe not so much knowing, as believing," Kei cryptically responded with a charming smile before exiting the room and letting the door shut behind him.

Kaorin let out a sigh as she stared despairingly at the door. "Maybe I should have thrown in the towel after all," the catgirl pessimistically mused. "Ah!" Kaorin exclaimed as her most recent phone call came to mind. She quickly whipped out her cell phone and stored Sakaki's number, even though odds are she'd never have enough guts to call it.

"The cats' house?" Kaorin wondered as she put replaced the phone in her pocket. That place did hold one of Kaorin's treasured memories. It was unlikely that Kaorin would ever forget the serene look on Sakaki's face as she petted that cat. Kaorin shook her head to try and keep her thoughts focused. Why did Sakaki want to meet her there? If Sakaki wanted to see her wouldn't it be more prudent to meet at her house, or better yet, Sakaki's house? Kaorin quickly fell into a dreamy state as she imagined Sakaki and herself at Sakaki's house.

It was several minutes later when Kei returned, now in a clean lab coat and munching from a bag of chips. "A'm back," he mumbled with his mouth still full. At seeing the dreamy, faraway look on Kaorin's face he followed her gaze to see nothing more than a blank wall. Not wanting to miss the chance, he quickly whipped out his cell phone and took Kaorin's picture. Unfortunately for Kei, the obnoxious click noise his phone made to indicate the picture had been taken seemed to snap Kaorin out of her daze.

Kaorin blinked a couple of times before glancing around a bit. "You're back," she observed with a little malice.

"Indeed," Kei confirmed as he put his cell phone away. "So, what were you thinking about?" He prodded and somehow teased at the same time. "Was it a little fantasy about an incredibly handsome doctor?"

"Hell no!" Kaorin vehemently refuted.

Kei chuckled, though stopped halfway through when he reached into his bag of chips only to discover the bottom of the bag. "Damn it all," he cursed as he stared angrily at the bag, blaming the inanimate object for its emptiness.

"Focus!" Kaorin scolded. "Aren't you supposed to be trying to fix me?"

"Eh?" Kei asked with feign concern, "But don't you want to have children someday?"

If she had something within arm's reach, Kaorin would have thrown it at Kei's head with enough force to make him glad he was in a hospital. Instead she settled on a piercing glare. "That's not funny!" she angrily growled.

A familiar 'click' sound echoed as Kei took another photo with his phone. "Your angry face is even cuter than your dreamy face." Kei sincerely informed Kaorin with a grin before putting the phone away again.

The sound of the final straw was audible in the form of a battle cry as Kaorin lunged at Kei. Somewhat accustomed to being assaulted by his patients, Kei was able to dodge the initial attack and got a smug smile as he watched all of Kaorin's anger evaporate almost instantly as she fell limply into his arms. Kei laughed as he gently laid Kaorin back down onto the examination table. "You shouldn't exert yourself after losing so much blood," he chided as Kaorin opened her eyes and glared at him.

While Kaorin wanted to tell the bastard off, no words came to mind. "Hurry up and do whatever you need to do," Kaorin scoffed and looked away from the object of her scorn.

"Straight to business, huh?" Kei observed with a little disappointment. In truth toying with the catgirl was some of the most fun he'd had in some time. Though, on the other hand, her case was quite unique and he did indeed want very much to figure it out. Kei let out a sigh as he put his fun aside in place of business. He produced a small book from one of the lab coat's pockets and opened it up. "There were quite a few questions I needed to ask you."

"If it's anything perverted or stupid, I refuse." Kaorin bluntly informed him.

"I'm done teasing you," Kei said with sincerity, "so you don't need to worry."

"Fine, shoot."

"Well, physically, it would appear as though your ears and tail are the only changes that you have undergone," Kei observed with all seriousness, "but that's all that we've found. It's your body, can you tell me of anything else that's changed since you got your...accessories?"

Kaorin was a bit surprised at Kei's seriousness, although skeptical to how long he would behave himself. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not teasing you, Kaori." Kei started with a nervous chuckle. "Anything out of the ordinary would do. I kind of envision the cliché kind of thing, though. When you think of catgirls, you think of increased agility and flexibility, cravings for fish, feeling nappy in the sunlight, and stuff like that."

"You're really not teasing me?" Kaorin skeptically asked.

"Honest," he assured, though, coming from him, it wasn't at all reassuring. "Is there anything that's changed at all?"

Kaorin sat up as she fought back a blush and refused to look at Kei. "Well now that you mention it," she started nervously, "a few things do seem different from before."

"You don't say," Kei urged as he put pen to paper in anticipation.

"I-I guess I am more flexible now," Kaorin admitted, "but none of that other stuff is true."

Kei's disappointment was clear. "That's all?"

"Well sorry for not being a freak!" Kaorin outburst as she cast another glare at Kei.

"I didn't mean it like that." Kei explained as he held up his hands. "It's just that something that minor—it doesn't really help much."

"I don't see how any of my personal life is of any help anyways," Kaorin bitterly retorted.

"Fine, fine," Kei dismissed with more than a little disappointment, "I won't push you." The not-so-good doctor put the small book away. "I'm just trying to help you."

Kaorin once again looked away from Kei. "You have a funny way of showing it."

Kei let out a sigh. "I apologize, for everything before."

"You don't mean that." Kaorin accused.

"Of course I don't," Kei shamelessly admitted, "but I do want to get to the bottom of this just as badly as you do. Isn't that enough common ground to stand on?"

"Why do you care so much about me?" The catgirl questioned as she stared Kei down.

"You're fun," Kei claimed with a dashing smile. "And besides that, your case is just the kind I've been looking for."

"And just what kind of case would that be?" Kaorin continued to prod.

"What kind?" The strange doctor mused. "Something that is inexplicable. Something that is impossible. In a word: something supernatural."

Kaorin gave him a blank stare. "Supernatural?" The catgirl asked in a deadpan voice. "Don't most doctors scorn things like superstition and the occult?"

"Most doctors are idiots," Kei scoffed. "They think that they can explain everything away so easily, but one look at you and they all have nothing to say. That's why I'm the only one that is going to figure this out"

Just by looking at him, Kaorin was at a loss as to whether or not the nutty doctor was serious or not. Having little other choice, she decided to play along. "So," she started in an accusatory voice, "what is the _genius _doctor's opinion then?"

With another grin he produced the small book again and after flipping through a few pages he found what he was looking for. "I have several theories," he claimed as he pointed his pen at the top line in his book. "First off is the most obvious: have you done anything recently that would anger any cat gods?"

"You're serious?" Kaorin scoffed. Upon receiving an enthusiastic nod from Kei, Kaorin had no choice but to play along. "I haven't," she derisively spat.

In response Kei scratched out the top line and moved to the second. "Well have you upset any living cats and acquired some sort of curse? Or anyone for that matter."

"I'm pretty likeable and I'm not mean either," Kaorin complained as she started to get fed up with humoring Kei.

"Well then, have you ever been abducted by aliens?" Kei asked casually as he scratched off another couple of theories.

"No, and I'm done playing this stupid game." Kaorin grumbled as she got up. "If you have something serious to talk to me about then spit it out, otherwise I have someplace to be."

"I _am_ serious," Kei asserted, though his protest did little to calm Kaorin's frustrations. The catgirl trudged to the door, but as she tried to open it, Kei slammed it shut. "Fine," Kei begrudgingly spat as Kaorin sent him yet another glare, "let's hear your theories, then. What do you think has happened?"

Kaorin was taken aback. She surely had no prepared response. While she had fretted and wondered about her condition she had never once took to the time to try to think of how it happened. "I-I don't know," Kaorin admitted.

Once more, Kei adopted a smug smile that immediately wanted to make Kaorin slap it off of him. "Then how can you so easily dismiss my opinions?" He told her in a tone that echoed superiority.

"Because your theories sound more like something that would come from a homeless person with tin foil on their head than the serious thoughts of a doctor." Kaorin scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest and sent a pointed glare in Kei's direction.

"Oww," Kei mockingly complained, "such cruelty." Kei let out a sigh seeing as how it didn't appear as though Kaorin wasn't going to budge on this. "You want answers from proven tests and official diagnoses, but I'm pretty sure you're not going to find anything down that route. I already told you the blood and DNA tests might show some insight and that whatever good they do, it's not going to make this go away."

"And wild flights of fancy are going to help?"

Kei scoffed. "Just because you don't believe doesn't make it untrue. Although, if it puts your mind at ease, I am doing everything I can by the book as well. Humor me, and I'll humor you."

"Fine," Kaorin begrudgingly compromised as she reached for the door again, "but I wasn't kidding about having someplace to be."

"I'll be in touch," Kei sincerely informed Kaorin as she left the room. As soon as she left he pulled out his cell phone and changed its wallpaper to that of Kaorin's angry face. "The proof is in the pudding," Kei mused as he put the cell phone away, "and I've finally found the cup I've been looking for." Kei's train of thought evaporated quickly as he was distracted by his own metaphor. "I think I still have a pudding cup in my mini fridge." Kei mumbled to himself as he made a beeline for his office.

* * *

A/N: Totally not happy with this chapter, but either way I finally finished up the lingering hospital trip and next chapter will be (finally) focusing on Kaorin and Sakaki again. Honestly I just want to be done with Kaorin's hospital trip. I did away with the preview of next chapter for several reasons. It was just an experiment anyway. Kei will be returning in later chapters, although his part will be much more of a background character. Since next chapter will be almost entirely Sakaki/Kaorin progression, Kagura's effects from the meteorite won't be seen until the chapter after next. No more writing while under the influence for me, so next chapter should read much better. My apologies again.


	12. Collapse

A/N: I was able to produce this chapter fairly quickly at the expense of getting absolutely nothing done on Encroaching Darkness. I won't neglect that any further so the next chapter won't come out quite as quickly as this one. The writing, in my opinion, is markedly better, though still jumpy in a few places. Anyways, I hope you enjoy...though you probably won't...

* * *

As soon as she had made it home, Kaorin made her excuses and made her way towards the alley where she was to meet Sakaki. Thankfully the paparazzi didn't seem to be around, especially considering that she could barely walk, let alone run, thanks to her low blood volume. Due to that fact it took Kaorin much longer to get to the alley than she had expected. But arrive she did, and she was more than a little elated to find Sakaki sitting there waiting for her. "Sa-Sakaki-san," Kaorin greeted breathlessly, "s-sorry it took so long!"

"You made it," Sakaki acknowledged as she got up and patted off her rear. "Are you all right?" The tall girl asked as she approached Kaorin and noticed the poor condition the girl was in, "You look pale."

"I-I'm just a little anemic." Kaorin tried to reassure, but as she straightened up vigorously her thoughts ran blank as her legs buckled. It took a moment for Kaorin's thoughts to stop swimming and for her to come back to lucidity. The first thing Kaorin recognized was that, although she was still upright, she wasn't standing up. The next thing was a serene warmth enveloping her. Finally, her eyes fluttered open as she fully recovered from the syncope to find herself in, of all places, Sakaki's arms. "Sa-Sakaki-san," she marveled as the sheer joy nearly caused her to faint again.

Seeing as how Kaorin seemed to have at the very least regained herself, Sakaki gently rested the catgirl against the building. "Are you really okay?" Sakaki questioned as she pulled away.

"Y-Yeah," Kaorin assured despite the dizziness and nausea the syncopic episode left her with. After a few moments of recovery, Kaorin realized that Sakaki was just sitting there staring at her the whole time. The sudden realization instantly unnerved Kaorin. "I-I'm fine, really!" she anxiously proclaimed.

The catgirl's protests weren't convincing at all, but Sakaki really didn't want to push Kaorin either. Torn between her concern for Kaorin and her compassion for the poor cats that were unaware of their potential fate, Sakaki had to make a choice of which cause to pursue. "Can you stand?" Sakaki shamefully inquired with a little bit of guilt, knowing full well that she had just chosen the wellbeing of the cats over that of her newest friend.

"Yes!" Kaorin eagerly replied, but managed to catch herself from shooting up and instead climbed to her feet slowly. After feebly proving she was well enough to be on her feet another awkward silence enveloped the duo as Sakaki struggled to find the words she wanted to say. So it fell to Kaorin to prompt the conversation forward. "Umm…" the catgirl fumbled due to the presence of the object of her desire, "Why did you want to meet me here?"

Sakaki hesitated a moment before motioning to the dilapidated door to the cats' house. "That."

Following Sakaki's motions, Kaorin found the condemned sign announcing the building's imminent destruction. "It's going to be torn down." Kaorin mumbled. Although she was a bit disheartened at the sad news, Kaorin still didn't fully understand why Sakaki asked her to be here in person. "You…wanted me to see this?" Kaorin questioned as she turned her gaze back to the taller girl.

"They are in trouble and they won't let me help them," Sakaki explained as she nervously averted her gaze to the decaying door and the sign hanging onto it, "but they will listen to you. They understand you."

It took a moment for Kaorin to realize that Sakaki was simply referring to the cats residing within the abandoned residence. A tight pain in her chest rose as Kaorin realized that Sakaki didn't summon her here for any personal reasons. For once, Kaorin was glad that Sakaki was looking away as not to see the crushing disappointment in the catgirl's face as her ears and tail both fell limp. Sakaki hadn't wanted to see her at all. She just needed Kaorin's gift of gab to help the cats. So after all the trouble, Kaorin had gotten her hopes up for nothing. "I'm such an idiot," Kaorin mentally kicked herself as she moved to the door, making sure to hide her face from Sakaki's view. Although terribly disappointed, the catgirl couldn't just refuse Sakaki's request. Not to mention that those cats really did need help. Kaorin pretended to struggle with the door for a moment as she did her best to put her frustrations aside and hide her disappointment. "Let's go," Kaorin softly offered, managing to keep her voice steady.

Completely oblivious to Kaorin's feelings, Sakaki blissfully followed after as she intently watched the tip of Kaorin's tail sway lightly from side to side until it vanished into the darkness of the forsaken building. Once inside the damp, musky building Sakaki found it easy to spot dozens of pairs of yellow eyes staring at the intruders. "They're all still here," Sakaki mumbled as all the cats began to hiss at her presence.

Just like last time the cats seemed to rally together as soon as Sakaki was noticed. This time, however, the black cat that led the charge was nowhere to be found. "C-Calm down," Kaorin pleaded as she was yet again unnerved by the strange behavior of the cats dwelling in this abandoned building. At hearing the catgirl's voice the cats all calmed down considerably and became quite docile. Quite a few of them scampered off to resume whatever it was they were doing before Sakaki had entered. "Maybe they really can understand me," Kaorin marveled at the quick change of temperament in the animals.

"You need to warn them." Sakaki reminded Kaorin as she stared at the shrinking horde as more and more cats seemed to go off to do their own business.

Kaorin sighed. She knew that she was about to make a fool of herself in front of Sakaki, but she couldn't refuse the request. "Um…" Kaorin started hesitantly. "You all…You all have to leave!" Kaorin stated loud enough to be heard throughout the building. "This building will be destroyed soon! If you stay you will be hurt!" Any doubts Kaorin had about her ability to be understood by cats quickly evaporated as the many cats rather casually began to flood out of building. "They-They understood me!" Kaorin babbled in disbelief.

"You saved them!" Sakaki marveled as the cats continued to flee the building. Kaorin blushed at the praise from her idol, though it could hardly be seen in the darkness. The duo continued to watch the cats exit the building until it seemed that they had all departed.

"I hope they don't come back before they tear this place down." Kaorin lamented as she glanced around the now barren building. If Kaorin had been looking, she would have seen a look of abject horror on Sakaki's face. The tall girl clearly hadn't considered that possibility. "There's one left," Kaorin observed as she looked up to spy a black cat resting on a guardrail on the second floor. "You need to leave!" Kaorin shouted to the creature, but, while it looked down at the girl from its perch, it made no move to leave. "Maybe it's deaf," Kaorin reasoned.

Sakaki nodded as she steeled herself. "I'll go get him."

"M-Maybe I should go instead," Kaorin offered. After all, it was Sakaki the cats were always aggressive towards.

Sakaki shook her head. "You need to rest," she dismissed as she stared at the decrepit staircase leading to the second floor.

Kaorin blushed again. "Let me try one more time," Kaorin insisted. "Neko-san! You have to come down and you need to leave!" Once again the cat made no effort at all to move. The catgirl sighed as she resigned from trying to talk to this cat. "Try your best, Sakaki-san," Kaorin encouraged, having little other option.

Sakaki nodded again as she steeled herself for traversing the rundown stairs. To say they looked dangerous would be an understatement. The rotten wood sunk in and jutted out in seemingly impossible ways and there were a few stairs that had already partially collapsed. Sakaki swallowed her fears and approached the stairs with caution. Before even trying to get on the first stair she took hold of the hand rail and gave it a gentle tug. Unbelievably, the rotten wood gave way without any resistance. She stared incredulously at the decayed and disintegrating chunk of wood in her hand and back to the staircase. "This is…bad." She thought to herself as she began to quake with fear.

"Are you all right, Sakaki-san?" Kaorin sympathetically asked as she noticed the taller girl start to shake.

Sakaki instantly stiffened and did her best to reattain her cool composure. "I'm fine," she managed to dismiss as she gazed up the stairs again. Judging from the banister, these stairs were barely holding themselves up, let alone support her weight. Taking a deep breath, she warily stepped up onto the first stair and while it creaked and groaned under her weight, it did not falter. She let out the breath and slowly climbed up, stair by stair, taking care not to be lured into trying to find support in the deceptively useless banister. About three-fourths of the way up she came to not one, but two steps that had already collapsed and fallen away, leaving a gap in the staircase. Peering down, Sakaki could only see a foreboding darkness where the missing steps used to be. She looked back up to the top of the stairs and then over to see that black cat still resting on the guard rail watching her intently. Backing out now wasn't an option in Sakaki's mind. Steeling herself, Sakaki stepped over the gap and thrust her weight up and forward. As soon as her weight rested on the step above the gap a loud crack resounded throughout the decrepit building. Too late to stop and drop back to the relative safety of the stairs below the gap, Sakaki could do little but brace herself as the step gave way.

"Sakaki-san!" Kaorin cried out as the tall girl dropped through the staircase. Instinctively, she tried to rush to Sakaki's aid, but didn't make it halfway before her consciousness scattered and she ended up on her hands and knees as she tried to regain herself. As soon as she shook it off, the catgirl looked up to see that Sakaki had managed to catch herself and was struggling to climb out.

Although she smashed her chin as she dropped, Sakaki did manage to catch herself and tried to pull herself out, but, not having any way to get her legs up, she could only get halfway out of her predicament. To make matters worse it seemed that the step she was hanging on to was also showing signs of collapsing. Although tantalizingly close, the top of the stairs was a seemingly impossible goal now. As she lamented her failure the cat appeared at the top step with a devious look on its face. The sight of the feline instantly made Sakaki forget her situation. "C-Come here," Sakaki ignorantly coaxed as she put all her weight on one arm so she could reach out towards the feline.

While Sakaki was struggling with her predicament, Kaorin was trying to come to the rescue. Dismissing trying to go up the stairs after Sakaki as counterproductive, the catgirl instead made her way to what appeared to be a closet door under the staircase. Kaorin struggled to open it, but it refused to budge. "It won't open," Kaorin admitted in little more than a whisper as she slid down to her knees. After recovering from the exertion she had the presence of mind to warn Sakaki. "Sakaki-san, you have to pull yourself out of there! This door won't open!"

Although Sakaki heard her, it didn't really register as the tall girl was engrossed with the black cat as it elegantly descended toward her with a malicious intent. As soon as it was close enough, Sakaki tried to reach for it and was rewarded with a painful cat bite. Sakaki tried to withdraw her hand and as she did so the remainder of the steps she was hanging on let out a snap as she felt them shift. She actually managed to forget about the cat as she focused on not falling into the darkness even though, given her height, it wouldn't be too far to fall. In her desperation, Sakaki managed to get a knee up and pulled herself back onto what was left of the stairs. But, as soon as she thought she was in the clear, the steps shifted again and separated from the top floor as they started to collapse entirely. Sakaki made a bid for the second floor, but fell short and dropped into the darkness along with the stairs. As if clattering down into a pile of broken wood and having more splinters fall on her wasn't bad enough, the impact of Sakaki and the top few stairs crashing down caused a serious chain reaction as the entire house seemed to shift and groan.

The sound and tremor of the collapse didn't go unnoticed by Kaorin, who was still resting against the closet door contemplating what she could do. Overcome by a deep sense of foreboding she stepped around and looked up the ruined staircase to see the entire upper third of the stairs missing and Sakaki nowhere in sight. "Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin shouted in a panic. "Sakaki-san where are you? Are you okay?"

After going through a coughing fit brought on by all the disturbed dust in the air, Sakaki was able to respond to her friend. "I'm here!" She managed to choke out before coughing again. "There's a door here, but it won't open!"

Kaorin went back to try the door again and as she turned she saw and felt as a large section of the second floor came loose and collapsed, erupting a choking cloud of dust that filled the entire room reducing visibility even further. "This whole place is coming down!" Kaorin stated the obvious as she ran to the door and tried to open it again. "We need to get out of here right now!"

"Keep pulling!" Sakaki ordered as she shifted gears and stopped trying to push the door open.

"I am!" Kaorin insisted as another tremor erupted due to another part of the building shifting, "It won't budge!" The catgirl let out a yelp and stumbled back as the door jumped with a loud thump. A couple of thumps later Kaorin realized that Sakaki was either ramming or kicking the door from her side. She scrambled for the doorknob started pulling again. With the extra stress, the door managed to come off of its hinges and collapse after a few more impacts, revealing a dusty and weary Sakaki sitting just on the other side of the doorway amongst the rubble of the stairs. "Let's go!" Kaorin insisted as she offered Sakaki a hand up. While Sakaki accepted Kaorin's assistance, she kept hanging onto the catgirl for support. "Sa-Sakaki-san," Kaorin stammered as she blushed. While flattered, this definitely wasn't the time.

"I need some help," Sakaki begged as she continued to support herself on Kaorin. "My leg."

While Kaorin couldn't see the problem though the darkness and the dust, she got the gist of it and slung Sakaki's arm over her shoulder and proceeded to lead the taller girl out of the dangerously unstable building. They safely exited the building and quickly made their way to the far side of the alley before collapsing. Now safe, both Kaorin and Sakaki erupted into coughing fits in an attempt to rid their lungs of the intrusive dust. As soon as she had a chance, Kaorin looked over at Sakaki and what she saw horrified her. A split lip and several scrapes and bruises were the least of her concern when compared to the long gash in Sakaki's left calf. Not only did it appear deep and was bleeding profusely, but it clearly was also full of dirt, dust, and filth from that house. "Are you all right?" Kaorin panicked as she fretted about not knowing what to do. "We-We should get you to a hospital right away!"

Sakaki quickly shook her head. A hospital was a scary place that Sakaki definitely didn't want to go to. She defiantly took off the dingy bandages she had applied earlier to her arms from the cat scratches and bites and tightly wrapped them around her left calf. "Its fine," Sakaki assured with a grimace as soon as she finished bandaging her leg.

"It needs to be cleaned!" Kaorin insisted. "And it looks like it might need stitches too!"

Sakaki froze at the thought of stitches. Usually she didn't have to worry about anything deeper than a cat scratch. She fought off a shudder as she tried to push the thought from her mind. Although a hospital was out of the question in Sakaki's mind, there was a place where she usually went to in order to get patched up. Although technically a doctor's office, it was rather warm and homey instead of cold and sterile. "I'll be okay," Sakaki claimed as she did her best to stand on her injured leg. "There is a doctor's office near here."

Kaorin wearily climbed to her feet, nearly falling down from exhaustion due to the recent ordeal and compounded by her low blood volume. "I'll help you." She eagerly offered as she approached, ready to help the taller girl walk on her wounded leg.

Surprisingly, Sakaki refused the help as she gently pushed Kaorin away and shook her head. "No," she insisted, "I'll go alone." It's not as though she wanted to go alone. In all honesty she could seriously use the help, but she couldn't go to that office with Kaorin in tow. The doctor there was a friend of her mother's and if word got back to her mother that she had been with the catgirl it would only mean trouble for her. "I'm sorry," Sakaki apologized at seeing the confused and hurt look on Kaorin's face, "but I have to go alone."

"You-You can barely walk!" Kaorin protested as Sakaki tried to retreat. "You need some help!"

"Not from you," Sakaki blurted out as she continued to limp down the alley. "I'll be okay," she assured as she turned to Kaorin before starting off again, "You just take care of yourself."

Kaorin watched numbly as Sakaki hobbled down the alley and out of sight. "No way," she choked out as she slumped to her knees. Sakaki had only summoned her here to talk to the cats and even after rescuing the tall girl, she simply left her. Tears started to break free as she continued to dwell on what she perceived as her own stupidity. Had Sakaki just used her? She couldn't bear to think that Sakaki would be capable of that, but still, no other explanations came to mind. "Was it just pity? Convenience?" she thought as she started sobbing. "I'm such an idiot."

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry! I promised Sakaki and Kaorin being together, but I guess I failed to mention they were about hit a brick wall. They'll work it out...eventually. Next chapter I was hoping to move on to the next day and show Kagura's effects from the meteorite. (To answer TheoneandonlyKaorin, Kagura came into contact with the meteorite in the chapter "Promise") This chapter, however, ran on a little too long and I decided to cut it off here. The next chapter will be a bit shorter and mostly go over the aftermath of the events in this one. The chapter after that will finally have them back in school and all the characters finally get some screen time. After writing this chapter it occurred to me that I cannot for the life of me write an Azumanga Daioh fanfic without, in some shape or form, maiming poor Sakaki. Weird.


	13. A Bad Taste

A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter. It's just here to wrap up the last chapter so it's fairly short. It also introduces another character that may or may not have a role further down the line.

* * *

Sakaki hadn't made it very far before she stopped to lean against a post. The pain in her leg was intense and seemed to only get worse and worse with each step she took. She really wished she could have accepted Kaorin's help. At this rate she wasn't going to make it to the office at all. "It really hurts." She complained aloud as she gritted her teeth and started trudging toward the doctor's office again.

"Hey! Are you all right?" A male voice shouted.

Sakaki stopped and looked up to see a young police officer in uniform approaching her looking quite alarmed. Although she didn't realize it, Sakaki did look to be in pretty bad condition what with her various scratches, bruises, and that seeping gash on her leg from her perilous fall. Not to mention all of the dirt and dust she had accumulated certainly didn't make things look any better.

The officer was at Sakaki's side in an instant. "Were you attacked?" He seriously inquired as he gently took hold of Sakaki's arms in an effort to steady the shaky girl.

Sakaki shook her head. "I-I'm okay," she claimed even though she was clearly in bad shape. She feebly shook off the policeman's grip. Despite her desire for some aid to get her to the doctor's office, Sakaki certainly wasn't comfortable with the officer touching her.

The young policeman was certain that this tall girl was attacked. He couldn't for the life of him fathom why she would lie about it though. Not that it really mattered at this point. First and foremost he needed to get her to proper medical attention immediately. "We need to get you to a doctor right away," he assured Sakaki. "Do you want me to call you an ambulance?"

Sakaki shook her head again as she motioned down the street. "There is a doctor's office a few blocks from here."

"I'll help you there!" the young officer offered as he tentatively motioned to help her. Although reluctantly, Sakaki did allow him to sling her arm over his shoulders so he could bear much of Sakaki's weight for her. He urgently wanted to get the poor girl to proper medical care as soon as he could, but he also had to take things slowly so that he wouldn't put any undue stress on her. "I'm Nakata Taro." The policeman offered in hopes of getting her to open up.

"Sakaki." The tall girl simply stated.

"Sakaki-san, if someone hurt you then you really need to tell me." Taro coaxed.

"No one hurt me." Sakaki refuted.

Taro let out a sigh as he continued to help Sakaki along. Perceiving Sakaki as deceptive, he started to wonder if he was even helping this girl to a doctor's office. If he ended up just escorting her home he'd surely be kicking himself for quite some time. "Look," he started after a few moments of silence, "if you change your mind you can always go down to the police station to report a crime or press charges, okay?"

Sakaki nodded only to put the officer at ease, considering he wouldn't listen to her. Not that it really mattered. The only thing on Sakaki's mind at the moment aside from the awkward contact with a complete stranger was the throbbing pain in her calf. And she dreaded getting it treated. Kaorin mentioned that it would have to be cleaned, surely an agonizing procedure. If she needed stitches too then Sakaki had a very, very unpleasant future ahead of her. Sakaki almost didn't want to stop once she had arrived at the doctor's office, but stop she did. "Here."

It took a moment for Taro's mind to process the unexpected statement, but he quickly realized that they had come to what appeared to be a small clinic. "At least she'll get treated," Taro mentally reassured himself.

Sakaki deliberately pulled away from him and towards the door. She offered the kind police officer a small bow. "Thank you." She expressed her gratitude before opening the door.

"Just…take care of yourself!" Taro shouted as the girl disappeared into the doctor's office. He then sighed as he scratched the back of his head. Although not sure if he did everything he should have, Taro was fairly sure he had done the right thing. "I hope everything turns out okay for her," he mumbled as he slowly walked away from the clinic and headed back towards where he bumped into the tall girl. With any luck maybe he could stumble across a clue or two.

* * *

Back at the alley, the weeping Kaorin failed to see part of the roof collapse and the abandoned building finally come to rest as it managed to settle. As soon as the building stopped shifting, the black cat emerged through a newly opened rift in the building's wall. It watched the curled up catgirl cry softly for a couple of minutes before it scurried off. The feline ran a few blocks away and approached a rather inconspicuous fence. It then looked up and let out a meaningful meow. Responding to the signal, a very familiar grey cat atop the fence leaned over and glanced down at the black cat. As soon as it had Kamineko's attention the black cat meowed again and scampered away. If possible, Kamineko would have smiled as it settled back down to continue basking in the sun.

* * *

After making it back to where he first encountered Sakaki, Taro decided to go in the apparent direction the tall girl had come from in hopes of finding out exactly what happened to her. He had hoped for a blood trail or some other telltale sign of Sakaki's path, but Taro had no such luck and relied instead on intuition. It didn't take long for him to come across a suspicious alley and no sooner did he start down it did he see a sight that made his heart skip a beat. A girl was curled up on the ground and unmoving. "Hey, hey!" Taro practically yelled as he rushed to the girl's side and knelt down, "Are you all right?"

Surprisingly, the girl stirred and lazily sat up. "Eh?" she mumbled as she dazedly rubbed her eyes.

At first, Taro was relieved to see the girl appeared to be unharmed, but as soon as he saw the twitching ears atop her head most of his thoughts went right out the window. "Cat ears," he mumbled aloud.

"Ehh!" Kaorin nearly shouted this time as she realized a police officer was right in front of her. Instinctively, she backpedalled only to receive a painful bump as she cracked her skull on the wall immediately behind her. The catgirl let out a little whine as she held the back of her head with both of her hands. "Oww."

"Are you all right?" The police officer repeated as he snapped out of his stupor, although he continued to stare at the girl's bizarre ears.

"I'm fine," Kaorin assured with a strained smile as she tried to gather her bearings. It didn't take her long to identify the ruined building just beyond the officer and for the memories of what had transpired to come rushing back. Her demeanor quickly nosedived.

Taro easily noticed the sharp change in the girl, but decided it wasn't any of his business. "How did you end up here?" he pleasantly coaxed. "Do you live near here?"

Kaorin stared forlornly at the abandoned house and never made eye contact with the policeman. "I was here with…with a friend," she sedately admitted. She then pointed off to the side. "My house is about a kilometer that way."

The police officer glanced behind himself to see what it was the catgirl kept looking at to see a partially collapsed house. Considering the catgirl was caked in a similar filth that the tall girl sported, Taro quickly put two and two together. Sighing, he stood and extended a hand toward Kaorin.

"Thanks," Kaorin mumbled as she let the officer pull him up. As soon as she was on her feet the catgirl tried in vain to pat away the dust and dirt from her clothing, but to no avail.

"You know," the officer started, "I just ran into a girl who was covered in just as much dust as you." "By any chance does your friend go by Sakaki-san?"

"You saw her?" Kaorin excitedly exclaimed. "Is she all right?"

"She was pretty banged up," Taro admitted, "but I helped her to a nearby clinic so I guess she should be just fine." Although he had a pretty good idea, he still had to ask, "I was hoping maybe you could explain to me how she got to be in such a state."

Kaorin didn't hear anything after the officer said that he helped Sakaki to a nearby clinic. "You…helped her?" She numbly asked.

"Well yeah." Taro informed her. "I mean her leg was pretty banged up and she was having trouble walking on her own. So I had to help her walk to the clinic." At hearing this Kaorin's face again contorted, this time into sorrow, and Taro was fairly certain that she was about to cry. "I-I'm sure she'll be okay though!" He tried to reassure the distraught catgirl.

"I'm going home!" Kaorin emotionally announced as she turned on her heel and began to storm off.

"Wait!" Taro demanded, "You still haven't told me how your friend got injured!"

Kaorin didn't falter at all as she animatedly pointed to the forsaken and collapsed building. "That!"

It was just as he had expected, but still, somehow things didn't turn out right. "What's her deal?" Taro mumbled after Kaorin had exited the alley and turned a corner. Sighing, he approached the now collapsed building. "I wonder what they were up to in a place like this," he thought as he eyed the demolition notice. He dismissed the thought as irrelevant as he too began to leave the alley. Although technically they were both guilty of trespassing, Taro didn't have the heart or the motivation to pursue the matter. "Either way they should have learned their lesson after all of this," he decided.

* * *

A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too short. In retrospect I probably could have bundled it together with the previous chapter. I honestly thought that wrapping it all up would take a bit longer than it did. Either way you, my precious readers, get a new chapter fairly quickly. In my haste, I skipped over a great deal of my proofreading duties. Honestly I was just too lazy to do it right this time! Hopefully I didn't leave too many errors in. As I said before, the newest character may or may not have a future in this story. It all depends solely on my own whims. Next chapter will be the return to high school and focus on the girls there. Honestly I wanted to work on Encroaching Darkness, but I'm really, really stuck on it. Stupid writer's block. Hopefully it won't spill over onto this story any time soon.


	14. Shattered Delusions

A/N: It's been a while, but here is the latest chapter. It's another relatively long chapter, but, most importantly, it's the first chapter to really focus on Sakaki in quite some time.

* * *

Sakaki sat at her desk, alone in an empty classroom. Thanks to her leg, which did require stitches after all, her mother insisted that she drive Sakaki to school so that her daughter wouldn't put any undue stress on the wound. Because of her mother's hectic work schedule, Sakaki was now at school long before anyone else with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Usually it wouldn't have bothered Sakaki that much to sit alone with her thoughts, but now it seemed to really annoy her. Not because of having nothing to do, but because today and possibly for a few days to come she wouldn't have a chance to walk to school with a certain pointy-eared girl.

Sakaki let out an exasperated sigh as she stared out the window next to her desk. Maybe it was for the best... for the time being, anyway. If the media showed up again, and she got seen with Kaorin, her mother would be more than a little angry with her. The whole situation was somehow distasteful, and, for some reason she couldn't quite grasp, it really got under her skin; the fact that she didn't understand it herself only made it that much more maddening.

The sound of shuffling feet and the door sliding open brought Sakaki from her reverie. Chancing a glance at the door she only spied a studious-looking girl she couldn't even name. Of course, the girl took one look at Sakaki and immediately became alarmed at the cool girl's obvious cuts and bruises. She didn't mention anything though, probably due to a lack of courage to approach the standoffish girl. Sakaki didn't pay it much mind though. The awkward situation was easily dismissed as Sakaki continued her daydreaming as she stared out the window again.

That same situation repeated itself several times as more students arrived. It took a few times before Sakaki realized that she was actually waiting for someone, and every time that someone didn't appear, she found herself disheartened. It didn't take long for Sakaki to stop gazing out the window and instead focused her attention on the door as she anxiously awaited a familiar face.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for a familiar face to appear, even if it wasn't the one Sakaki wanted to see most. Instead a diminutive, red headed genius entered the classroom. After dropping her bag at her desk, she scanned the room and quickly found Sakaki. Chiyo extended her arm in a wave as she greeted her tall friend. "Good morning Saka-Ah!" she began to greet Sakaki, but stopped short as soon as she noticed the apparent condition the tall girl was in. "Sakaki-san! Are you all right?" the short genius fretted as she quickly approached her friend.

Sakaki gave Chiyo a slight nod. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"What happened?" Chiyo enthusiastically inquired.

The tall girl couldn't help but to think back to the incident in question. Of course, out of all that happened, the one thing that stuck in Sakaki's mind was that last cat they failed to rescue. "I hope he didn't get hurt," Sakaki inadvertently mumbled, eliciting a worried twitch from the young genius.

Before Chiyo could recover and make some sort of response, the door slammed open revealing a grinning Tomo and an exasperated Yomi. "Good morning!" Tomo boisterously announced to the entire classroom while Yomi just groaned. "Whoa, Sakaki-chan!" Tomo marveled as she noticed the obvious bruises and scratches on the tall girl. In a flash the wildcat was at Sakaki's side. "Did you try to pet a tiger or something?"

Yomi shoved Tomo out of the way before Sakaki got a chance to respond. "Ignore her," she dismissed. "That looks pretty bad... are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Sakaki asserted, though it was doubtful that she was heard.

"What the hell?" Tomo exclaimed over top of Sakaki's reply as she shoved Yomi back.

The two girls quickly descended into an all out brawl while Chiyo did her best to bring peace to the quarrel. Sakaki, on the other hand, didn't pay much mind to the chaos. After all, hardly a day went by that those two didn't get into it. It was just how they got along. If anything, the usual commotion of her friends helped Sakaki to put her mind at ease. It was strange how something so loud and crazy could bring peace to her, but the antics had somehow become a reassurance to her. Letting out a contented sigh, the tall girl once again gazed out the window, this time without anxiety prying at her mind.

It didn't take long for Tomo and Yomi to stop their squabble. While Tomo walked off with Chiyo so she could copy homework off of the genius, Yomi stuck around to make sure Sakaki wasn't overlooked. "Are you sure you are okay?"

Sakaki lazily gazed back to Yomi and offered a small nod. "I'll be okay."

"But are you okay now?" Yomi pried, "If something is wrong, you need to speak up."

Sakaki shook her head as a small smile appeared. "I'm feeling…much better now."

Yomi sighed as she gave up on getting Sakaki to open up. "Just remember that if there's any trouble, you can count on us for help," Yomi assured before reluctantly returning to her own desk.

As Yomi sat down, a great clamor sounded from the hall. Instinctively, Yomi cast a glare in Tomo's direction only to find the wildcat as bewildered as everyone else. The bespectacled girl followed everyone else's gaze to the door just in time to see it burst open revealing a panicked Kagura. The athletic girl sprinted into the room, dashed behind the podium, and did her best to hide behind it. Just as Kagura got behind the podium, a large group of students seemed to instantly coalesce in the doorway. All of them all seemed to have the same thing on their mind, and they all spoke a similar request all at once.

"Where's Kagura-san?"

"Is Kagura-san here?"

"Has anyone seen Kagura-san?"

"Did Kagura-san come by here?"

"Which way did Kagura-san go?"

All the students that had shown up so far simultaneously looked from the rambunctious group of students to Kagura's flimsy hiding place. Kagura was looking even more panicked as she put a finger to her lips symbolizing silence as she frantically shook her head.

Either Tomo was too stupid to understand the obvious gesture, or, more likely, she just wanted to cause Kagura grief. The wildcat stood up and pointed at the athletic girl. "Kagura's right-mmph!"

Thankfully, Yomi had quickly run up to Tomo and clasped a hand over the boisterous girl's mouth, silencing the mischievous fool. "She ran by that way!" Yomi asserted, as she pointed in the same direction Tomo was pointing. The large mass of students readily bought the feeble lie. The door to the room slammed shut after a few quick and insincere thanks, and their footsteps could easily be heard running off. "What the hell was that?" Yomi mumbled as she relinquished her hold on the wildcat.

In response, Tomo accosted Yomi for ruining the potential chaos, and the duo descended into yet another fight. This time, Chiyo didn't pay them much mind, instead finding Kagura's situation much more intriguing.

No sooner did the unruly horde leave, did many of the students in the room get up and rush over to Kagura. The podium suddenly tipped over as Kagura fled the mob by dashing over the overturned object. The sporty girl then rounded the perimeter, coming to a stop behind Sakaki.

"Hide me," Kagura begged as she feebly tried to make herself invisible by crouching down behind the tall girl.

"What is this?" Sakaki questioned as she kept an eye on the crowd, still gathered round the fallen podium.

"Everyone's gone nuts!" Kagura hissed as she kept a wary eye on the crowd. But the crowd faltered at the even more imposing than normal sight of Sakaki.

Hesitantly, the students dispersed and returned to their desks as Chiyo, Tomo, and Yomi all returned to Sakaki's desk. "What the hell is going on?" Tomo irately demanded. "How'd you get so popular all of a sudden?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Kagura retorted.

"Why is everyone harassing you?" Yomi seriously inquired. "Did something happen?"

Kagura shook her head. "I didn't do anything," she asserted.

"Then what does everyone want with you?" Chiyo spoke up.

Kagura heaved her bag onto Sakaki's desk and pointed to it. "This," she explained as she worked the buckle. The bag suddenly burst open with so much energy that the flap swung up and over, smacking Sakaki in the face.

"No way!" Tomo indignantly shouted as she saw the contents. Her bag was stuffed to the brim with white, red, and pink envelopes.

"Are those all…?" Yomi wearily asked as she pointed to them.

"I dunno," Kagura replied with a sigh. "It's not like I've never had a letter in my shoe locker before, but this is crazy! I literally had to dig my shoes out!"

Tomo dramatically pointed to the bag. "It's not fair!" she flamboyantly shouted at Kagura as she moved her accusatory finger in the athletic girl's direction. "What the hell makes you so popular?" Tomo angrily demanded. "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

"I told you I don't know!" Kagura insisted.

"You're just keeping it a secret so you can have all the attention for yourself!" Tomo accused.

Kagura growled as she started to get fed up with Tomo. "I don't want it!" she argued. "It hasn't even been ten minutes, and I'm more than fed up with everyone hanging all over me!"

"So what are you going to do about it?" Sakaki calmly asked, taking the bickering girls off guard.

As Kagura finally took note of Sakaki, she noticed the obvious wounds. "Um…" Kagura stumbled as she was taken aback at Sakaki's condition and her own stupidity at not noticing it. "What am I going to do?" she dumbly repeated the question.

"Ignore them," Yomi offered. "They'll leave you alone eventually."

"That won't work," Sakaki asserted. "If you ignore them…they won't stop bothering you."

All eyes fell on the wounded girl as they all realized that when it came to idol worship, there wasn't a soul in the school with more experience than Sakaki. "Oh! You must have an amazing technique to keep everyone from bothering you, huh?" Kagura marveled.

Sakaki shook her head. "I just…ignore it," She admitted, never having come up with a better solution herself.

Kagura visibly deflated. "What do I do then?"

Before she got a response from anyone, the school bell sounded just as an exhausted Yukari dashed into the classroom. "Safe," the frazzled teacher mumbled aloud as she walked up to the podium and flopped down onto it…or she would have if it had not been turned over. Instead she fell face first onto the overturned object. She recovered with inhuman speed and sent a death glare at her class. "What the hell?" Yukari shouted as she pointed to the fallen podium. "Whose idea was this?"

"Kagura did it," Tomo unscrupulously ratted her friend out as she pointed towards Kagura, who was at this point trying to sneak back to her desk without detection.

If possible, Yukari got even angrier as she brandished a book. "I'll kill you!"

While Kagura received an excessive beating, courtesy of Yukari, Sakaki couldn't help but notice that not all the class had arrived. Osaka wasn't there, although that wasn't strange. Osaka was often tardy. What bothered Sakaki was the fact that Kaorin hadn't arrived. She immediately worried that perhaps the media had gotten to her again and this time no one was there to rescue her. Or possibly she tried to avoid them by going over the wall again and fell and sprained her ankle. Sakaki's imagination ran rampant all throughout the morning, constantly thinking up worse and worse scenarios that could have befallen Kaorin. Finally, she came to the ludicrous situation that perhaps her friend had been kidnapped by a secret government agency and they were doing inhumane experiments on her to discover how she came to be a catgirl. And then maybe they'd make a whole army of catgirls and try to take over the world with the cuteness!

Needless to say that come lunch time, Sakaki had not only effectively missed all of her morning classes, but she was a nervous wreck too. As soon as the lunch bell sounded, Kagura shot over to Sakaki's desk. Predictably, all of Kagura's admirers faltered at seeing her next to Sakaki. "It worked!" Kagura exclaimed with a smile, more than a little proud that she had outsmarted her legion of fans.

Sakaki didn't pay Kagura any heed; in fact, she hadn't even realized her presence. The second the teacher left the classroom, Sakaki whipped out her cell phone and, with the courage of unrelenting panic, she dialed Kaorin's cell. Unfortunately for Sakaki, the only response she got was a standardized message informing her that the phone was turned off. Sakaki started shaking as she imagined a mysterious and scary government man turning off Kaorin's cell phone as she was dragged away into the shadows.

"I didn't think it sounded _that_ bad," Kagura mumbled as she folded the note and stuck it back into its envelope. While Sakaki was distracted with her own thoughts, Kagura had dug her bento out of her bag and had begun to absentmindedly read some of the letters aloud as she ate. "They all kinda sound the same though," she complained.

"Here," Yomi offered as she placed a wastebasket next to Sakaki's desk.

"Eh? What's that for?" Kagura inquired as she managed to tear open another envelope with only her left hand.

"You don't plan on keeping all of those, do you?" Yomi rhetorically asked as she pointed to the note.

Kagura reluctantly looked to the trashcan. "I guess not," she mumbled. "But isn't it kind of mean to just throw them away?"

"It's your call," Yomi dismissed as she held up her own bento. "Tomo-chan, Chiyo-chan, Osaka and I are going up to the roof to eat lunch, since the weather is going to be bad for a while. You two can come too."

"Wait," Sakaki called out to Yomi as she turned to leave. "Did you…I mean...," Sakaki stumbled.

"What?" Yomi prodded as she cocked an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath to collect herself, Sakaki tried again. "Do you…do you know what happened to Kaorin?"

Yomi took a glance at Kaorin's seat before shaking her head. "Haven't heard anything," Yomi informed Sakaki before making her way out of the classroom.

Sakaki sighed as she reluctantly produced a bento of her own. As the tall girl began eating, once more ignoring Kagura's incessant rambling, she glanced around the room looking for the one person who might know something. Sakaki spotted her almost immediately. Even though she had barely taken two bites of her lunch, Sakaki set her chopsticks down onto her bento and stood up with vigor. Although Kagura asked what she was doing, the words were unheard by Sakaki's one-track mind.

"What's with her today?" Kagura mumbled aloud as she went to open another letter. As soon as it was open and she went back to eating, Kagura was suddenly filled with an urgent sense of dread. Looking up, she saw a most terrifying sight. She was surrounded by a horde of admirers! "Sakaki! You traitor!" Kagura shouted, although she couldn't be heard over the squeals of delight and admiration.

"Chihiro-san," Sakaki spoke up as she approached the girl in question.

Chihiro pried herself away from staring at the horde that had surrounded Kagura to the imposing figure of Sakaki. "What do _you_ want?" Chihiro spat with as much disdain as possible.

Sakaki was taken aback at the malice in Chihiro's voice, and Sakaki was pretty sure that the shorter girl was doing her best to glare at her too. "I-I wanted to speak with you," Sakaki nervously spoke.

"Go away," Chihiro ordered as she went back to staring at the fans enveloping Kagura.

"But I…"

"Leave!" Chihiro forcefully shouted.

Sakaki reluctantly gave up and limped back to her desk, or as close as she could get with the wall of bodies in her way. After a few moments of trying to force her way through, Sakaki gave up. She considered going up to the roof with the others, but agitating her leg further was something Sakaki would rather avoid. With no other choice, Sakaki looked for a desk to sit at. Of course, the first desk she looked to was Kaorin's. She walked over and hesitantly sat down. "I really hope she's okay," Sakaki whispered at a barely audible volume.

In the end, Sakaki never really got to eat lunch. She ended up suffering through the rest of the day with an empty stomach on top of all of her unnecessary anxiety. By the time the final bell rang, Sakaki felt as though she shouldn't have come to school at all. With her recent injury she probably could have gotten out of coming to school easily, too. She wanted more than anything to go to Kaorin's house and see if the catgirl was okay, but she at least had to go home with her mother's assistant today.

"Hey, Sakaki!" Kagura shouted as she approached. "Wanna walk home together?" She asked as she glanced about at all the potential fans that might harass her.

"I can't," the taller girl brushed Kagura off.

Honestly, it didn't matter what Sakaki said, Kagura would follow her anywhere until her stalkers wandered off. "What're you doing instead?"

Once again, Sakaki didn't catch so much as half of what Kagura had said. She was still fretting over the fate of her friend. Yomi didn't seem to know anything, Chihiro refused to talk at all, and Sakaki couldn't think of anyone else that was close to Kaorin. In desperation, she spoke her mind to Kagura instead. "Do you know why Kaorin wasn't here today?"

Kagura shook her head. "I don't." Kagura then looked around the room and spied Chihiro gathering her things to leave. "But I bet I know who does!" The athletic girl nearly started to dash towards Chihiro, but stopped herself from leaving Sakaki's side. "Let's go talk to Chihiro," Kagura suggested as she took Sakaki's hand and led the unwilling girl to Chihiro.

Kagura and Sakaki arrived at Chihiro's desk at the same time as Yomi. "Hey, Chihiro," Yomi beat Kagura to the punch.

"It looks like I'm really popular today," Chihiro cynically noted as she glanced about the girls surrounding her.

"I was a little worried about Kaorin," Yomi informed Chihiro. "Do you know why she wasn't here today?"

Chihiro took the time to send a subtle glare in Sakaki's direction before responding. "It looks like she was really upset again," Chihiro informed Yomi, "so she just stayed home today."

"Was it something Tomo did?" Yomi accused more than asked. "Do I need to make Tomo apologize to her again?"

"It wasn't Tomo," Chihiro informed Yomi.

"Who was it?" Sakaki boldly butted in.

"You!" Chihiro accosted as she pointed at Sakaki. "Kaorin wouldn't say anything about what happened, but she did tell me that this is all your fault!"

Sakaki's stoic mask shattered as her face turned to surprise and horror. "M-Me?"

"Don't act innocent!" Chihiro yelled at Sakaki. "It was stupid for me to ever give you Kaorin's number!" Having said her piece, Chihiro grabbed her bag and quickly fled the scene.

With Chihiro gone, all eyes fell on Sakaki. "What…happened?" Kagura nervously asked Sakaki. Remembering the bad mood Sakaki was in yesterday combined with her wounds today, Kagura's mind ran wild with possibilities.

"I…didn't do anything," Sakaki honestly claimed.

Kagura and Yomi exchanged confused glances before turning back to Sakaki. "Something had to have happened," Yomi rationalized, "otherwise Kaorin wouldn't have stayed home."

On the verge of tears and having little other option, Sakaki turned around and walked off as quickly as she could without causing her leg too much pain. Kagura, of course, had to follow. Not only because she refused to leave the situation at that, but also because Sakaki's impeccable intimidation was the only barrier Kagura had against her fans. "Talk to me," Kagura insisted as she caught up to Sakaki.

Predictably, Sakaki didn't say anything as she kept walking at a hurried pace. Despite Kagura pestering her the whole way, Sakaki kept from saying anything at all the whole way out of the school. And, much to Kagura's chagrin, Sakaki got away from her at the shoe lockers because another boatload of letters cluttered up her shoe locker. Once Kagura got out the front door she barely caught sight of Sakaki getting into a rather large car. "Shit," Kagura spat as she saw the car drive off. Having little other choice, Kagura started running. Instead of heading towards her own home, Kagura set her sights on Kaorin's house so she could get to the bottom of things.

* * *

A/N: Poor, oblivious Sakaki. Next chapter will hopefully involve their friends doing their best to get Sakaki and Kaorin back on the right road. As promised, this chapter finally reveals the meteorite's effects on Kagura. Much like with Kaorin, there is a silver lining. It just hasn't turned up yet.


	15. Patchwork Solutions

A/N: It's been a long, long time. Honestly, I had lost all interest in this story for a time. Only recently have I started working on it again. This chapter is a bit longer than usual, although that is a small pittance considering how long it's been.

* * *

"They're really persistent!" Kagura complained as she tried to catch her breath in front of Kaorin's house. She wanted to go straight to the house, but she was followed by a few very devoted fans. Several alleyways and many, many blocks later she finally managed to ditch every last one of them. Although relieved that she had finally gotten rid of those annoying admirers, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as she approached the front door. Kagura wasn't necessarily afraid of Kaorin, but odds are a very awkward and frustrating conversation awaited her on the other side of that door. Swallowing her fears, Kagura rang the doorbell and steeled herself for the situation to come.

Predictably, the door opened to reveal Kaorin's mother. After taking the sight of Kagura in, Aida looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hello, you are one of Kaorin's new friends, aren't you?" she politely asked with a bow. "Kagura-san, right?"

"Yeah," Kagura assured as she stepped in and removed her shoes. "Kaorin wasn't at school today, and Chihiro said that it was 'cause she was really upset over something. So I came here to see if I could help," she informed Aida. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Aida shook her head. "I really do hope you can cheer her up," she earnestly informed Kagura. "I can't recall a time when she was this upset."

"That bad, huh?" Kagura mused aloud as she gave a small bow to Aida before heading in the direction of Kaorin's room. As she approached Kaorin's room, she once again felt a bit of trepidation at the potential difficulty to come. "Today really sucks," Kagura bitterly thought before summoning the courage to knock on the door.

It took quite a few seconds before the door opened. To Kagura's surprise, it was Chihiro who opened the door instead of Kaorin. "Ka-Kagura-san?" Chihiro exclaimed.

"S-so you came here to help Kaorin out too?" Kagura nervously greeted as she entered Kaorin's room. "Whoa! You look like hell!" Kagura inadvertently exclaimed as soon as she took one look at Kaorin. The poor catgirl really did look horrible. She was still in her pajamas and it looked like she just rolled out of bed, except for the fact that her eyes were puffy and swollen from recent tears. "Ah! Sorry, that came out wrong," the sporty girl immediately apologized.

"If you came just to rub it in then you should leave _now_!" Chihiro defended Kaorin.

"Rub it in?" Kagura asked, completely puzzled.

"So you're going to play dumb too?" Chihiro accused.

"I'm not-" Kagura started to protest, but was cut off by Kaorin.

"I thought you were supposed to be rooting for Sakaki-san and I," she sedately mumbled. "How could you betray me?"

Kagura growled as she tried to figure out what in the world made everything so crazy. "I never betrayed you!" Kagura irately argued. "I came here to help you!"

"You liar!" Chihiro accused as she, too, looked to be on the verge of tears. "Everyone saw how you were hanging all over Sakaki-san today! I even saw you holding her hand!"

Kagura was more than a little puzzled as to how things could have been misconstrued in that manner. "You've got the wrong idea," the sporty girl defended herself. "I was only hanging around Sakaki so that everyone else would leave me alone. And I never held her hand either!"

"Don't lie!" Chihiro challenged. "I saw you with my own eyes!"

The athletic girl let out a long sigh as she tried to put everything into perspective. "Look," Kagura asserted calmly and clearly, "I'm not interested in Sakaki or anyone else for that matter. At least not in _that_ way." Chihiro seemed to finally accept Kagura's word this time and backed down. Kagura let out a sigh of relief that she had finally gotten her point across. "Is this what this whole mess is about?" she questioned rhetorically as she turned to face the still mopey Kaorin. "You should've just called me; it'd have saved you a lot of grief."

"That's not it," Kaorin mumbled.

"Then what is it?" Kagura prodded as she reluctantly sat down beside Chihiro on Kaorin's bed.

"Well...," Kaorin started as she relayed to Kagura how she had ended up at the cat's house with Sakaki, her apparent ability to communicate with the critters, and how Sakaki had met her there again to save the animals. After explaining about the collapse and the fearsome race to escape the crumbling house, Kaorin finally got to the important part where Sakaki had basically cast her aside once the taller girl had gotten what she wanted. "I think she hates me," Kaorin sadly stated as she finished her story. "Sakaki-san must think I'm disgusting or something." Of course, as she said that her hands instinctively moved to the fuzzy ears atop her head.

"That's impossible!" Kagura confidently contradicted Kaorin's statement. "Sakaki wouldn't do that, and she definitely doesn't hate you."

"I'm not lying!" Kaorin emotionally proclaimed as fresh tears threatened to fall. "Sakaki-san really did that! She really…she really said that!" As she finished her outburst, Kaorin did actually start to cry again.

Chihiro quickly moved to console Kaorin. Kagura, on the other hand, was thrown off guard at Kaorin's tears. "Ah! No, I…" Kagura fumbled her words. The athletic girl took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts in an effort to remedy the delicate situation. "Look," Kagura stated empathetically, "while I still find it hard to believe Sakaki did something like that, I know that she doesn't hate you, no matter what she said."

"How can you be so sure?" Chihiro growled, her words being more of an accusation than a question.

"Because Sakaki kept asking everyone about where you were today," Kagura reasoned. "She wouldn't do that if she hated you."

"She probably just feels guilty," Chihiro scoffed.

Kaorin, however, wasn't nearly as stubborn. In fact, she would have accepted nearly any excuse as a ray of hope to cling to. "You really think that?" a teary-eyed Kaorin practically begged.

"Of course I do!" Kagura confidently proclaimed.

"Can you-can you talk to her for me?" Kaorin pleaded with her most pathetic look, made all the more effective by her droopy ears.

Kagura hesitated before responding. "I-I really think you should talk to her yourself," she lamely dodged. Kaorin didn't reply, but she did maintain her pitiful stare. It didn't take long for Kagura to finally fold. "Fine," Kagura begrudgingly relented with an irritated sigh. "I'll talk to her for you."

Kaorin allowed a ghost of a smile to touch her lips. "Tell her that I'm sorry," she requested.

"What for?" Kagura queried with a hint of accusation. "You didn't start this whole mess, did you?

Kaorin hung her head and shook it a little. "No," she sedately replied. "At least I don't think so. But maybe I did or said something that offended her, and that's why she's angry with me," the catgirl bizarrely reasoned. "Even though I don't think I did anything wrong, I guess I should still apologize just in case."

"You shouldn't apologize if you didn't do anything wrong," Kagura reasoned.

"But what if I did do something wrong?" Kaorin argued. "Can't you just apologize to her for me, please?"

Kagura sighed again in a feeble attempt to will her frustrations away before pulling out her cell phone to check the time. "If I'm gonna talk to Sakaki, I should probably go now."

"You- you're going to apologize for me, right?" Kaorin meekly prodded.

"Yeah," Kagura assured as she made her way to the door. "I'll call you after I talk to Sakaki," she added as an afterthought as she left Kaorin's room.

Kaorin offered a pitiful thanks as Kagura disappeared from view. "I hope she can do it," Kaorin mumbled as she flopped down on her bed to stare at the ceiling. Her view was quickly obscured by Chihiro's stern-looking face.

"Awfully trusting, aren't you?" Chihiro reprimanded.

"What do you mean?" Kaorin questioned.

"Just because she claims not to be interested in Sakaki doesn't mean it's true," Chihiro pointed out, much to Kaorin's dismay.

Kaorin shot back up in a flash, nearly throwing Chihiro off of the bed. "You don't really think she'd do-do that, do you?" Kaorin demanded as she grabbed her friend's shoulders and shook her a bit too roughly.

As soon as she had recovered from Kaorin's rough treatment, Chihiro reluctantly shook her head. "Kagura definitely isn't a liar," Chihiro admitted, "so I guess it's not very likely."

"Then why bring it up?" Kaorin wailed as she fell back down again.

* * *

As soon as Kagura had left Kaorin's home, she took off running at a fairly vigorous pace in order to reach Sakaki's house as quickly as possible. Thankfully, it didn't take the athlete very long at all to arrive at her rival's home. It was quite the imposing structure. It didn't compare to Chiyo's mansion, of course, but it was still a relatively large and luxurious house. Although she had come by this place several times as she walked to her own home alongside Sakaki, Kagura had never actually been inside. Somehow that little tidbit made the prospect of entering that much more imposing.

Swallowing her doubts, Kagura pressed the button on the interface at the gate. Within seconds, a face appeared on the screen. Even on the small, grainy screen, the stern-faced woman clearly looked nothing like Sakaki at all. "Who is it?" the woman asked. Although she did have the façade of being kind, Kagura could see that she was simply annoyed.

"I'm Kagura, one of Sakaki's classmates," the tomboy explained, "Can I come in?"

"Very well," the woman explained with a sigh before the small screen went blank and the gate opened.

After entering the house and taking off her shoes, Kagura came face to…chest with the woman from before. "She's huge!" Kagura thought as she looked up to see a tall, muscular woman that easily towered over even Sakaki. She was dressed in a nice suit, and sported a well maintained bob cut. It was potent combo giving the woman a powerful presence. "I-I umm…" Kagura faltered.

The woman offered Kagura a feeble bow. "Sakaki is doing her homework in the living room," she said once again with a thinly veiled annoyance as she motioned to her left.

"T-thanks," Kagura sheepishly offered as she darted off to avoid the woman's icy glare. Upon retreating through the doorway, Kagura found herself in what appeared to be a lavishly furnished and decorated living room. Kagura quickly found Sakaki sitting on the floor, apparently doing her homework on the coffee table. "Hey," Kagura greeted with a strained smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Sakaki looked up at the familiar voice, surprised to find her friend in her home. "Kagura," Sakaki greeted, keeping her surprise feebly hidden, "You're…Why are you here?" The tall girl tried to stand, but between one leg being asleep and the other protesting against the movement, she hesitated and decided to stay where she was.

"I was kind of hoping I could talk to you," Kagura explained as she approached Sakaki. "Actually," she elaborated, "Kaorin wanted me to talk to you for her."

"Kaorin?" Sakaki hesitantly spoke as she cautiously peered to each doorway, making sure her mother's assistant wasn't within earshot. Satisfied that the woman in question wasn't around, she motioned for Kagura to have a seat.

Kagura grunted her thanks as she chose to sit on the couch, across from Sakaki. "First things first," the athlete asserted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I wanna hear your side of the story."

Sakaki shook her head. "Story?" the tall girl asked, completely puzzled.

Kagura cocked an eyebrow. "Kaorin told me everything," she informed Sakaki, "so don't bother trying to dodge the issue."

"I-I really don't know," Sakaki seriously countered. "What story? Do you know why Kaorin is mad at me?"

"You-You really don't know?" Kagura asked, stupefaction clearly written on her face. Sakaki shook her head in response. Kagura then leaned back and closed her eyes. After a few moments the sporty girl sighed before opening her eyes as she relayed what Kaorin had told her starting from just after the collapse. "…She really thinks you used her or something," Kagura finished after awkwardly recalling most of what she could remember of Kaorin's story.

Sakaki tried her best to maintain her composure throughout Kagura's tale, but partway through she had to hang her head in an attempt to hide her face from the other girl. Hearing what happened from Kaorin's point of view really made her realize just how badly her actions must have made the poor catgirl feel. Trying to keep her emotions reigned in; Sakaki tightly balled her hands into fists on her lap. "I-I'm sorry," Sakaki choked out, barely managing to keep her voice from cracking.

"Huh?" a stupefied Kagura asked.

"Tell Kaorin that I'm sorry," Sakaki requested as she kept her head bowed.

"Sure," Kagura reticently replied as she scratched the back of her head. "But you should apologize to her in person, too." Sakaki almost imperceptibly nodded to affirm Kagura's words. Kagura stood and retrieved her bag, eager to leave all of the awkwardness behind her. "Oh yeah; Kaorin wanted me to apologize to you for her, too. In case she did something stupid as well," she explained to Sakaki as she turned to leave although she received no response. As she approached the doorway, however, she hesitated as she saw that behemoth of a woman walk by. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Kagura offered as she waited by the doorway to make certain she wouldn't inadvertently bump into the woman. After several moments, it was clear that Sakaki was still not going to reply, and Kagura hesitantly walked back into the entryway. Thankfully, the tall woman was nowhere to be found. Kagura quickly put her shoes on and dashed out of the door while she had the chance to make a clean getaway.

* * *

The woman in question had just walked into the small office she and Sakaki's mother used to operate out of this house. She produced a cell phone, but hesitated to dial. Sakaki's mother had been very clear that, for now, her job was to watch over her daughter first, and to take care of business second. Following orders she had very intently eavesdropped on Sakaki's conversation with this mysterious Kagura girl. She knew that it was her duty to report to her boss every last detail, but she still felt guilty knowing the unpleasant consequences it would have for the teen. Finally pushing her conscience aside, she dialed Sakaki's mother. After a few seconds the elder Sakaki answered the other end. "Sakaki-san…"

* * *

As soon as she was clear of the gate, Kagura produced her cell phone and dialed Kaorin. All in all, things had gone a lot more smoothly than she thought, and it was nice being able to put this whole fiasco behind her. "Ah, Kaorin," Kagura greeted as soon as Kaorin picked up, "Good news…"

"What is it?" Kaorin eagerly inquired.

"Sakaki didn't say much, of course," Kagura explained, "but she did say to tell you that she's sorry. She seemed really apologetic, too."

"Did Sakaki-san say that she didn't hate me?" Kaorin begged.

"A-all she said was to tell you that she was sorry," Kagura lamely replied.

"Is she sorry about using me? Or just sorry that it hurt my feelings?" Kaorin continued.

Kagura hesitated, realizing just how little she had gotten out of Sakaki in her haste to be done with this situation. "She…didn't say," the tomboy reluctantly reported her ineptitude. All Kagura heard in response was a feral grunt followed by complete silence. "Hello?" Kagura inquired as she stopped in her tracks. Receiving only silence, Kagura irately put the phone away as she resumed her march home. "Damn it all," she grunted her disdain under her breath.

* * *

Dressed in her pajamas, Kagura flopped down onto her bed. Today had been one hell of a day for her. She had run marathons before, but never did she feel so very exhausted and drained. Kaorin was a rollercoaster of emotions, and somehow even the normally stoic Sakaki had been having mood swings lately. And it seemed somehow Kagura had landed herself right smack in the middle of everything. Add on top of that,the mysterious fame she had somehow acquired, and Kagura was completely spent.

With a sigh, Kagura groped around next to her bed for a moment before finding her bag. She reluctantly pulled one of dozens of envelopes out of the bag and held the seemingly benign object in front of her face. "Love, huh?" the tomboy mused aloud as she tore the envelope open.

* * *

A/N: For some odd reason, it isn't letting me use "-" to separate my scenes anymore. It seems to have removed them from all of my older chapters too. Irritating.


	16. Silver Lining

After a long night of fitful sleep, Sakaki was actually relieved when her alarm went off. She had fretted all throughout the night about a certain fuzzy-eared girl, and as a result, she couldn't wait to set things straight. Although the actual how still eluded her, considering she would be escorted to and from school and finding a private moment during school would be near impossible.

With no real plan in mind, Sakaki worked through her morning routine at a lazy pace before descending the stairs. The scent of breakfast hit her as soon as she stepped down from the last stair. Following the sounds and smells of cooking, Sakaki quickly found herself in the kitchen. Instead of finding her mother, it was her mother's devoted assistant cooking. "Good morning, Naomi-san," Sakaki mechanically greeted as she glanced about for signs of her mother. It didn't take Sakaki long to spy that the table in the adjacent room was set with only two plates. "Okaa-san has already left for work," she noted with a little bit of sadness evident in her voice.

"You should count yourself lucky," the tall woman replied without taking her eyes off of her task. "Your mother is quite upset with you."

Sakaki pondered that tidbit a moment before responding. "Why?"

The tall assistant sighed as she turned off the stove and removed her apron. "First off, I'd like to apologize to you," Naomi informed Sakaki as she turned to her, wearing a look of regret. "I eavesdropped on your conversation you had with that Kagura girl. Your mother was more than a little angry when I relayed it to her." Sakaki clenched her fists and deliberately looked away from Naomi. While imperceptible to most, Naomi had been around long enough to see Sakaki's muted emotions plain as day. "I really am very sorry," she apologized again as she approached Sakaki and outstretched her hand. "Your mother has instructed me to confiscate your cell phone."

Without so much as a word, Sakaki relinquished the device. It wasn't the first time her mother had left it to her assistant to punish her. The somewhat cowardly act was as brilliant as it was underhanded. By having Naomi relay her punishment, Sakaki was left with no way to argue her point of view. Not that Sakaki would likely do so anyway. Sakaki was usually mature enough not to begrudge Naomi for it, but since this time it was entirely the taller woman's fault that she was being punished, Sakaki couldn't help but hold some contempt at the act of betrayal. "What else," Sakaki finally spoke out, not hiding her hurt well enough to fool Naomi.

"It goes without saying that your mother wants to reiterate that you are to have no contact with that cat girl," Naomi explained as she pocketed the cell phone before turning back to the stove. "Your mother also informed me that you aren't allowed to be around this Kagura character either," she continued as she handed Sakaki a dish before grabbing one herself and leading Sakaki to the dining room. After setting down the dishes, Naomi began to fill the two plates while Sakaki sat down. The tall girl was clearly upset, even though she hid it well. "If you're mad at me, I wish you'd just show it," Naomi goaded as she took her own seat across from Sakaki.

"Itadakimasu," Sakaki announced before she started eating, seemingly ignoring her mother's assistant.

Naomi also spoke the customary saying as she too began to eat. Although she only picked at her food as she stared at Sakaki wondering if she was showing her anger as Naomi had requested or not. "You know, if you don't speak your feelings, they'll never be heard," Naomi informed Sakaki. "Don't you want them to be heard?"

Sakaki was at a complete loss. Even though it was a simple question, Sakaki found it impossible to answer. "I…don't know," she admitted.

Naomi sighed as she continued picking at her food. Somehow Sakaki's response only made her feel worse. "If you are angry with me or not, I would still like to make it up to you," she offered. "Although you know I cannot really go against anything your mother has prescribed." Sakaki made no effort to respond, and the two spent the rest of the meal in silence.

* * *

Kaorin, meanwhile, wasn't doing much better herself. Although she shared from a similar insomnia, that's where the similarities in their troubles ended. Already ready to leave for school, Kaorin stood hesitantly at her own front door with her eyes closed. As she was putting her shoes on, a familiar feeling enveloped her. This time she listened to her senses, and as she focused on her surroundings it became clear that the horde of paparazzi was awaiting her. She could hear them, although she couldn't make out any words. It was a bit of a relief that she could sense them, of course, but Kaorin still had no plan on how to avoid them.

Summoning her courage, Kaorin cracked the door open and peeked out. Although the murmuring of the media got louder, the cat girl couldn't find any other signs of her dreaded foes. She tentatively stepped out and found that the paparazzi were still not in her line of sight. It didn't take long for Kaorin to come up with a plan to avoid being discovered. She rushed to the side of her yard to the fence and jumped on top of it with surprising ease. Crouching atop the fence, Kaorin could just spot a few of the cameramen waiting for her just outside the front gate.

To avoid being spotted, she dropped down into her neighbor's yard. Now safely hidden from the prying eyes of the media, Kaorin couldn't help but to glance back at the wall she had just scaled. The smooth wall stood a good head higher than the cat girl. "I…climbed that?" she mumbled aloud with a little disbelief in her voice. Kaorin couldn't help but remember when Kei had asked her if she had gained agility along with her ears and tail. The thought only brought a bitter feeling as she realized she would have to tell Kei that he was right. "Maybe I won't tell him at all," Kaorin decided as she turned and began to tread across her neighbor's lawn to the next fence. She found it and the next few fences just as easy to scale.

Kaorin unexpectedly came to the last fence as she found the street when she pulled herself on top of the. Curiosity getting the better of her, she stalled on top of the fence to take another glance at the paparazzi. When she looked, however, she couldn't get a good view. To get a better view, she stood up straight and turned around on top of the fence, actions that came unnaturally easy to her. Kaorin grinned triumphantly as she finally caught eye of the horde of media standing obliviously outside her front gate. After basking in her own glory a moment, Kaorin turned to jump down off of the fence only find a familiar face staring up her skirt. The now red-faced cat girl barely suppressed a scream as she did her best to cover her exposed panties. Finally after a few awkward moments of trying in vain to conceal her unmentionables, Kaorin finally had the presence of mind to hop off of the fence and down onto the street.

The cat girl's admirer applauded the graceful landing as he sported an unshakable smile. "I'll give them a ten," Kaorin's estranged doctor praised, "and the landing wasn't bad, either."

"Wha-what the hell do you think you're doing?" the furiously blushing Kaorin demanded as she kept her skirt closed despite the fact that Kei obviously couldn't see up it anymore.

"I was just coming to see you, Koneko-chan," Kei shamelessly informed Kaorin, "but then I saw such a wonderful view that I couldn't help but to stop and admire it."

Kaorin growled as she finally started to fight off her embarrassment. "You-you pervert!" the cat girl hissed with as much malice as she could muster.

"Isn't everyone?" Kei dismissed as he produced a pocket-sized notebook and a pen. "You know," the loony doctor suddenly started with an air of seriousness, "I've read your entire file, and I've never read about you being in gymnastics or anything like that. And yet you seemed so graceful just now." He then leered at Kaorin triumphantly. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"I'm just as surprised about that as you are," Kaorin choked out through grit teeth as she looked away from the object of her scorn.

"Is that all, Kaori-chan?" the immoral doctor coaxed as he scribbled in the book.

Kaorin shook her head, although she kept her gaze away from Kei. "I-actually, there is something else," the unhappy cat girl reluctantly admitted, "It's going to sound kind of stupid though."

"Are you kidding?" Kei joked, "I work with doctors all day. You can't possibly say anything stupider than the dribble those dolts spew out."

Kaorin wondered for a brief moment if it would be less painful to bash her head against the wall until she fell unconscious. Dismissing the thought as a flight of fancy, the cat girl sighed as she thought of how to explain her gift of gab. "I-I can talk to cats," she chattered out quickly.

Kei shot her a quizzical glance as he scratched his head with the back of his pen. "Everyone with functioning vocal cords can do that, Kaori."

"That's not-" Kaorin started as she tried to think of a way to articulate what she meant. She quickly glanced about and easily found a nearby calico cat laying in the sunlight. "I'll show you!" Kaorin insisted as she approached the animal. "Excuse me," the cat girl spoke softly as she kneeled down near the animal, "Can you do me a favor?"

The cat peeked an eye open at the sound of Kaorin's voice. At hearing the cat girl's request, the feline stretched, got up, and began to leisurely walk away.

"W-wait!" Kaorin protested as the animal slinked away. "If you help me I'll-I'll give you some meat!"

At the word 'meat', the cat stopped in its tracks and looked back at Kaorin.

Having attained the critter's attention, Kaorin dug around in her school bag and retrieved her bento. She then pulled out a small piece of sausage. "See?" Kaorin offered. "Now, will you help me out?"

Seemingly convinced, the cat walked back over to Kaorin and sat down in front of her.

"If you do me a favor, you can have this sausage, deal?" Kaorin asked with a sweet smile.

The cat didn't seem to respond, as it just sat there and continued to stare at Kaorin.

Kaorin's smile turned devious as she cast a glance at Kei. "Attack him," Kaorin said as she pointed to Kei.

The cat looked to Kei, to the piece of sausage and the expectant Kaorin, and back to Kei. It then got up and once again it started to slowly skulk away.

"No deal, huh?" Kaorin mumbled as she watched the retreating creature. "How about something easier then, would that be worth it?"

Once again, the cat stopped and looked back expectantly at Kaorin.

"Something simple," Kaorin mumbled to herself as she tried to think of an act that would prove that the cat could fully understand her. Quickly forming a plan, she detached a small keychain from her bag, then pulled out her cell phone and removed its strap. Palming the piece of sausage, she held out each trinket in a different hand. "Take the keychain I took off of this bag," Kaorin stated clearly as she motioned to the bag. She then pointed to Kei, "And take it to that person. If you do that I'll give you the sausage, deal?"

The cat turned around, leisurely approached Kaorin, and took the keychain from her with its mouth. It then walked over to Kei and sat down.

Kei couldn't help but chuckle as he bent down and held out his hand. "Amazing," he breathed as he watched the small feline intently.

Predictably, the cat gingerly laid the trinket in Kei's hand before strolling back over to Kaorin to retrieve its treat.

Kaorin relinquished the morsel and petted the cat as it eagerly ate the treat. "See?" the cat girl insisted as she continued to give affection to the small animal. "I can talk to cats."

Kei applauded the feat. "That was nearly as great as your panties!" he praised in his own perverted way as he fervently scribbled in the small notebook.

"You're sure you won't maul that jerk?" Kaorin asked the cat in a deadpan tone. After a few more moments of petting the cat, the cat girl gathered her things back into her bag and replaced the strap on her cell phone. As she replaced the strap, Kaorin caught sight of the time. "Ah!" she exclaimed as she shot up and took off in a sprint. "I'm going to be late!"

A few minutes and several blocks later, Kaorin finally approached the school. Luckily for her, no paparazzi seemed to be present. She slowed to walk as she tried to catch her breath. It didn't take long for the cat girl to notice that something was amiss. Looking down, she found her cell phone in one hand, and nothing in the other. "Damn it all," Kaorin cursed under her breath as she realized that she had left her bag behind.

"Forget something?" Kei's irritating voice reached Kaorin's ears. The cat girl looked up, to her left, and to her right before she finally turned around to find a smug-looking Kei dangling Kaorin's bag out in front of him like a trophy.

Even though it was an act of good will, Kei somehow still made it seem so irritating. "Th-thanks," Kaorin choked out as she reached out to retrieve her bag.

Kei, however, pulled the bag out of Kaorin's reach. "What?" the unscrupulous doctor asked as he held the bag out of reach. "No "Thank you" kiss?"

"No way in hell!" Kaorin refuted as she pounced up and deftly snatched her bag away from Kei.

"Damn," Kei cursed as he stared at his empty hand. "You are one hot little firecracker, aren't you?"

"And don't forget it!" Kaorin retorted with a smirk as she held up her bag with a look of triumph.

Kei let out a chuckle. "You're just lucky that keeping up with you wore me out," he scoffed.

Kei's comment left Kaorin at odds. Already she had completely caught her breath, and, by the looks of Kei, he was still breathing hard. "It-It looks like my endurance is better, too," Kaorin reluctantly informed Kei.

"Dually noted," Kei said with a smile as he produced the book and pen again. "Look on the bright side," he told the cat girl as he scrawled in his notes, "between the agility and the endurance I'm sure you'll do great in gym class."

"Gym is always so much work though," Kaorin complained, "and it doesn't really matter in the long run, either."

"True, and true," Kei commented as he put the book away and stowed the pen behind his ear. "I always loved gym though," he admitted. "So many young girls in those shorts with their boobs jiggling as they ran…"

"Pervert!" Kaorin admonished as she made sure to slap the screwball doctor hard enough to wipe that smile off of his face.

Her ploy failed entirely, as the smile remained as strong as ever. "You know, I could get into that. If that sort of thing is what you like," Kei sincerely offered.

Kaorin blushed furiously as she turned on her heel and stormed towards the school gate. "Get lost!" she emotionally yelled at the reprobate.

"Hey now, that's no fun," Kei argued as he trailed after the cat girl.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kaorin spat as she never so much as glanced at Kei.

"Nothing is wrong with me at all," Kei countered. "You're the one always getting upset."

"Because you're a jerk!" Kaorin responded. She then spun on her heel to confront the doctor face-to-face, only to find that Kei wasn't behind her. A bit embarrassed, she looked side to side to find Kei bemusedly watching her. "I-I meant to do that!" Kaorin lied.

Without losing his smile, Kei handed Kaorin a slip of paper. "A peace offering," he claimed.

Reluctantly, Kaorin took the object from Kei and examined it. "A doctor's excuse?" Kaorin mumbled aloud, "To get out of gym?"

"You said you didn't like it, didn't you?" Kei claimed.

Kaorin looked to the slip of paper, to Kei, and back to the doctor's excuse. "What's the catch?" the cat girl cautiously queried.

"No catch," Kei offered. "Although, that excuse is only good for today," he informed her with a wink, "If you want another one, you'll have to earn it."

"Not on your life," Kaorin refused as she pocketed the note. "I'll be keeping this one, though." Before Kei could respond, the school bell rang as the front gate started to close. "I'm late!" Kaorin wailed as she dashed through before the gate closed and disappeared into the campus.

Kei sighed as he watched the cat girl go. All in all, he had gotten even more information than he had hoped for, and he hadn't even gotten to examine Kaorin's home for clues to her ailment yet. But still, he was a bit sad to see the spunky girl go. "Ah, well," he dismissed as he looked up and glanced about. "I wonder where the nearest ice cream shop is...," he mumbled aloud as he started off. Digging around in his pocket, Kei found the small keychain the cat had taken to him. He admired his trophy for a moment as it dangled in front of him. As he rounded the corner, he bumped right into someone and they both crashed to the ground. As Kei pulled himself up he found a girl on the ground wearing the same blue uniform Kaorin was. Somehow, the girl had managed to pick up the trinket.

"Ah, this is Kaorin's," the girl observed in an Osakan dialect as she climbed to her feet and looked up at Kei. "How'd'ja get it?"

"I'm actually her doctor," Kei informed the girl as he reached out to retrieve the keychain. "So I'll be taking that back." He tried to take the small object from the girl, but she wouldn't relinquish it as she just stared blankly at him. "I get it," Kei acknowledged with a grin. "I accept your challenge," he confidently boasted as he got within a few centimeters of the girl's face and stared fiercely back at her.

* * *

A/N: Although Kaorin and Sakaki didn't actually get to meet this chapter, it does lay down the means for them to do so. I should have mentioned it last chapter, but I failed to do so. Sakaki's stitches grant her a few days off from gym class, and, thanks to Kei's twisted generosity, Kaorin also has a day out of gym.


	17. Making Amends

A/N: This chapter is more than a little overdue thanks to my ever worsening writer's block. Hopefully the next chapter will be done much faster, but no promises.

* * *

Kaorin wearily wandered through the halls of her school. Her day had barely begun, and already she was ready to go back to bed. "Can nothing ever go my way?" the cat-girl mumbled to herself as she hesitantly cracked the classroom door open. Looking to the podium, she found no signs of Yukari. "Good, I beat Yukari-sensei here," she whispered aloud as she prepared to enter the room.

"Only barely!" Yukari admonished from right behind the cat-girl, scaring her senseless.

"Yu-Yukari-sensei!" Kaorin hissed as she jumped away from the English teacher. "I-I'm sorry that I'm late…," the cat-girl started to apologize as she bowed.

"Late?" Yukari asked before waving her hand dismissively. "I don't know what you mean. I'm not late, and you beat me here. So you're not late." The childish teacher then dragged herself into the classroom without uttering another word to the cat-girl.

Kaorin thanked her lucky stars that Yukari was so irresponsible as she slinked into the classroom and rushed to her seat. As Yukari started the roll call, Kaorin took a look around at her friends and, of course, the first place her gaze wandered to was a certain tall beauty. Much to Kaorin's surprise, as soon as she turned her gaze on Sakaki, Kaorin found the tall girl staring back at her. Overcome with nervousness, she immediately blushed and looked away.

"She must still be mad," Sakaki sadly thought as she noticed Kaorin snap her attention away as soon as she had caught the cat-girl's gaze. The tall girl turned her gaze to the window as she pondered how she could approach Kaorin and apologize properly.

Although Sakaki had hoped for a chance to talk to her between classes, she couldn't muster the courage to approach the cat-girl. Each time she chanced a glance at Kaorin, the catgirl would seemingly shun her by purposefully looking away. And each time this repeated itself, Sakaki's confidence and resolve slowly fell a little more. By the time physical education rolled around, Sakaki had all but decided that she should wait for another day when Kaorin wasn't so angry at her.

Like with every other break in between classes, Kagura was by Sakaki's side in a flash. "Are still sitting out for gym?" Kagura inquired as she pulled a chair up to Sakaki's desk.

"I'm supposed to take it easy for the rest of the week," Sakaki explained with a nod, happy to have something take her mind off of the fuzzy-eared girl.

"You'll be okay for the sports festival though, right?" Kagura prodded. "It'd really suck if you had to sit that out, too."

The sports festival was in a couple of weeks, and while Sakaki didn't really look forward to it like Kagura did, she did feel obliged to do her best to help out her classmates. "It should be okay," Sakaki affirmed.

"I really hope so," Kagura admitted. "I was really looking forward to it this year. With both of us together, there's no way we can lose!"

Sakaki nodded in agreement, even though she didn't much care much about winning or losing.

"You know what we should do to make the sports festival more fun?" Tomo butted in with her usual exuberance. "We should make a bet! That's why Yukari-chan and Nyamo-chan get so worked up."

"We're all in the same class," Yomi pointed out from her seat. "We don't have anyone to bet against."

"We'll all be competing in the 10k against each other," Tomo explained. "We can bet on that."

Yomi scoffed, not willing to admit defeat to the wildcat. "Suit yourself," she dismissed as she turned her attention elsewhere.

"So how about whoever comes in first place gets to boss the losers around for a whole week?" Tomo proposed with a big grin.

"Deal!" Kagura eagerly agreed, confident in her ability to trounce Tomo at any sporting event. "How about you, Sakaki?"

Sakaki calmly shook her head, fearful of the possible outcomes if she lost, or even if she won.

"Oi! Chiyo-chan!" Tomo yelled to one of the school's worst athletes. "We're betting on the 10k at the sports fest. You wanna bet too?"

Chiyo shook her head and eagerly declined.

"Cowards," Tomo grumbled, unhappy that no one other than Kagura was willing to bet with her.

The sound of the school's chime signaled the end of the break, inciting the class to return to their seats as Nyamo entered the room. As she did the roll call, a certain student came up absent. "Has anyone seen Kasuga-san?" The perplexed classroom whispered amongst each other and shared confused glances as Nyamo stared disbelievingly at them. "Osaka," she spat out. "Has anyone seen Osaka?"

"Ah!" the majority of the class echoed as they finally realized who their teacher was talking about.

"Osaka-san hasn't been at school today," Chiyo informed Nyamo.

The teacher marked Osaka as absent and quickly finished the roll call. As soon as she snapped the attendance book closed she dismissed the class to go to the locker rooms. "Sakaki-san, will you be all right here by yourself?" Nyamo asked as the students began filing out of the room.

Sakaki nodded in affirmation from her seat before returning to her daydreaming as she glanced out the window.

The back and forth didn't go unnoticed by Kaorin. She had been floundering on whether or not to use Kei's excuse or not, but seeing that Sakaki was staying behind made up her mind in an instant. "Excuse me, Kurosawa-sensei," Kaorin started as she approached the gym teacher holding out the note.

"Hmm?" Nyamo asked as she took the note and read it. She cocked an eyebrow as she looked to Kaorin, to the note, and back to Kaorin. "You look fine to me," Nyamo insisted. "You're sure you really need to sit out for gym?"

"Y-yes," Kaorin nervously lied as she dodged eye-contact with Nyamo.

Nyamo sighed as she looked at the note. Protocol dictated that she had to abide by it even if she could easily tell that Kaorin was more than able to participate in gym. "Fine. Just behave yourself," Nyamo relented before trailing after the rest of the class towards the locker rooms.

And just like that, Sakaki and the cat-girl were finally alone in privacy. It seemed as though the very instant the door closed behind Nyamo that the two were staring at each other. After several seconds it was Kaorin that first worked up enough courage to speak. "I'm sorry!" she earnestly apologized as she bowed deeply to Sakaki. "I don't know if I did or said something to upset you, but if I did, then I'm really sorry!"

"No," Sakaki contradicted as she stood. "I was never… angry."

Kaorin could barely hold back her tears as she looked away from Sakaki. "But... but then why? Do you-do you really…hate me?"

Sakaki was nearly unable to hide her surprise at Kaorin's words. "I would…never hate you," Sakaki refuted with a shake of her head.

Had the situation been different, those words would have been enough to send the cat-girl into a blissful daze, but at the moment she was simply at a loss. "If you're not angry, and you don't hate me... then why would you say those things?" Kaorin earnestly asked as her gaze fell to the floor.

"I didn't… mean to," Sakaki assured. The tall girl then bowed deep enough for her long hair to dance across the surface of the floor, an action that nearly made Kaorin lose her balance from the shock of seeing it. "I'm really sorry!" Sakaki apologized as she held the bow. "I was being selfish, and… and I didn't choose the right words," she fumbled as she tried to articulate her feelings. Sakaki then rose back into a normal standing position. "Forgive me?"

"O-of course!" a flustered Kaorin quickly dismissed. "I-I was never mad at you. I thought I did something wrong to make you angry."

Sakaki shook her head in response. "You saved me," she earnestly admitted, "if anything, I should be thanking you."

Kaorin's already flushed face turned beet red at Sakaki's praise. "I-I-I…That's…but-" the cat-girl stammered incoherently. "Th-thank you," Kaorin managed to squeak out after several more seconds of babbling and squirming.

A bit baffled as to why Kaorin responded to her thanks with another in return, Sakaki just nodded. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the duo as Sakaki struggled to find any words to say. So the two girls just awkwardly stared at each other for some time before Sakaki finally managed to speak the thoughts on her mind. "So… am I forgiven?" Sakaki mumbled.

"O-of course!" Kaorin instantly assured. "There's nothing to forgive!"

"I'm glad," Sakaki admitted with a small smile, provoking Kaorin's blush to rise once again.

"S-so… um…," Kaorin fumbled her words as she struggled to find something to say.

Sakaki failed to notice Kaorin's muttering, and, having had a sudden thought, she spoke her mind. "Why didn't you go to gym?"

"Ah, that's…well I needed to talk to you and apologize, so…," Kaorin nervously responded as she looked down and fumbled with her hands.

"But…the note," Sakaki pointed out. "Are you still feeling anemic?"

"No, no, no," Kaorin instantly dismissed. "Kei just gave me that as an apology…or a bribe. It's hard to tell with that guy."

"Kei?" Sakaki repeated, completely baffled.

"He is my doctor…sort of," Kaorin explained. "He's supposed to be some kind of genius, but he just seems annoying and perverted to me."

Allowing Kaorin's afterthought to pass, Sakaki spoke the first thing that came to her mind. "Does he know how…," she trailed off as she struggled to figure out a polite way to ask.

"No," Kaorin huffed as soon as Sakaki paused. "And all of his theories are downright insane, too."

Sakaki barely managed to hide her disappointment. "I… see."

"It's really starting to look like I might be stuck like this," Kaorin lamented as she tugged at her ears for emphasis.

"So… cute!" Sakaki's mind practically screamed as she watched Kaorin pouting and pulling on her ears.

Kaorin continued with a sigh, failing to notice Sakaki struggling to keep her composure. "Chihiro keeps saying that I just need to get used to it. I hate to admit it, but it's really starting to look like she might be right."

"I-it's all right," Sakaki encouraged. "It's… cute."

Kaorin blushed once again at Sakaki's praise. "You… really think so?" she squeaked out. Sakaki affirmed the notion with a nod, but before she could say anything, the duo was interrupted by one of the classroom's sliding doors being opened. While Sakaki found a certain Osakan standing in the back doorway, Kaorin obliviously looked to the one at the front of the room. "I thought I heard the door," Kaorin mumbled aloud as she turned around to find Sakaki looking away. Following the tall girl's gaze, she finally spotted Osaka as she walked into the room and closed the door behind her. "Oh…," the cat-girl mumbled as she realized she had made a fool of herself again.

"Good morning," Osaka greeted as she waved to the duo.

"It's almost afternoon," Kaorin informed Osaka with a deadpan tone. "You've missed all the morning classes."

"I meant ta be on time today," Osaka defended herself, "but I ran inta this nice guy and he took me out ta brunch an' everythin'."

"A guy?" Kaorin asked skeptically.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Osaka bizarrely responded. "He had this," she insisted as she withdrew Kaorin's keychain from her pocket. "It's yours, right?"

"It-it is," Kaorin noted as she took the trinket from Osaka. Not only was it amazing that Osaka had remembered that it was hers, Kaorin didn't even realize it was missing. It was at that thought that Kaorin remembered that she had used this keychain to demonstrate to Kei… "You ran into Kei!" Kaorin blurted out as soon as she had put two and two together. "He didn't molest you or anything, did he?"

"Huh?" Osaka obliviously responded as she tried to contemplate why Kaorin would jump to that conclusion. "His name was Kei-kun," Osaka recalled, "but he was really nice."

"That's impossible," Kaorin argued. "Not only is Kei a pervert, he's even more annoying than Tomo-chan!"

"Could it have been a different Kei-kun?" Osaka offered. "Maybe he's gotta twin or somethin'."

"That's also impossible," Kaorin refuted in a deadpan tone. Kaorin then sighed as she put her scrambled thoughts back together. "So… did Kei say anything about me?" the cat-girl reluctantly asked.

Osaka shook her head. "We mostly just talked about aliens an' stuff," she explained.

"Ah," Kaorin said as she gave Osaka a vacant stare. "That's why you got along with him."

Completely forgotten in chitchat that she had no part in, Sakaki glumly returned to her desk and resigned herself to looking out the window at the students below. It didn't seem to take long for the school's chime to echo again, signaling the changing of classes.

* * *

In the end, Sakaki never did get to talk to the cat-girl much more that day. As Sakaki changed her shoes and left the school building, she decided that, all things considered, her encounter with Kaorin went quite well. It didn't take long at all for Sakaki's mood to improve as she followed that train of thought and found a false confidence that she could easily approach the cat-girl tomorrow.

"You seem pretty happy for someone who's grounded," Naomi deftly observed as Sakaki approached the parked vehicle. As soon as Sakaki heard those words, the barely noticeable smile on Sakaki's lips faded as the tall girl's gaze fell subtly towards the ground.

"It's nothing," Sakaki dismissed as she kept her gaze from meeting Naomi's.

Even though she could easily tell that Sakaki was lying, she also realized that she likely wasn't about to receive the truth from her, either. Resigning herself to that fact, Naomi moved to open the car door for Sakaki when something very interesting caught her eye. She couldn't help but smirk as she relinquished her hold on the door handle and stood erect again.

Sakaki looked a bit puzzled until a familiar voice nearly caused her to jump.

"Sakaki-san!" a certain cat-girl hollered as she ran up to the tall girl. "I'm glad I caught you before you left!"

"I-that's… um…," Sakaki uncharacteristically stumbled.

Kaorin blinked as even she caught on that something was amiss. "Is… something wrong?" she inquired.

"Aside from that the fact that you are here, everything is fine," Naomi coolly informed Kaorin.

"I… don't understand," Kaorin claimed as she withered in the giantess's presence.

At a glance, Naomi could tell that Sakaki was more than a little ashamed. "So she didn't tell you," Naomi rhetorically asked the cat-girl. "I wonder why that is?" she cooed in hopes of getting a rise out of Sakaki.

Unfortunately her plan failed, as Kaorin quickly answered instead of Sakaki. "I-tell me what? What's going on?" the cat-girl demanded.

Naomi sighed at the unfortunate situation. "A few days ago, Sakaki's mother forbade her from associating with you specifically," she explained as she kept a cool glare on the cat-girl. "All things considered, I think now would be a good time for you to leave," Naomi suggested.

Kaorin looked from Naomi's withering stare to a downcast Sakaki and back. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized although she didn't know what for. Kaorin then offered a quick bow before retreating from the scene. As soon as she had gotten out of sight, Kaorin finally stopped as she began to wonder why exactly she was running away. She didn't get a chance to sort her thoughts out as a familiar voice rang in her ears. Finding her new ears an asset for the first time, Kaorin closed her eyes and did her best to sort through all the noise and find the voices she knew.

* * *

As Kaorin fled away from the duo, Naomi turned to find Sakaki with her gaze locked on her feet. A ploy to hide her face from Naomi's discerning eye, no doubt. Honestly, the tall woman couldn't remember the last time she had seen Sakaki so deliberately disobey her mother. Somehow, Naomi wasn't disappointed or upset with Sakaki. If anything, she was proud of the girl. Naomi let out a sigh as she saw Sakaki fidgeting ever so slightly. "You want to talk about it?" she earnestly offered.

"Please don't tell Okaa-san!" Sakaki requested as she bowed deeply to Naomi.

Despite Sakaki's size, it almost seemed to Naomi like Sakaki was a little girl again begging Naomi to keep her misdeeds a secret. Under that kind of pressure, Naomi couldn't help but to cave in. Besides, even though she wouldn't admit it, Naomi thought it ludicrous that Sakaki couldn't have friends just because it'd make her mother look bad. "Well, she is in your class," Naomi pointed out, "so it's not even really possible for you not to interact with her while you're at school."

"R-really?" Sakaki hesitated as she finally looked up. "You won't tell her?"

Naomi nodded. "I'll keep it a secret, just this once," she promised. "But in exchange, I want you to tell me what exactly is going on. Just what is it that makes even you disobey your mother, I wonder?"

Sakaki hesitated as she realized that even she didn't even know the answer to that question. She did, however, know one thing for certain. "She is… my friend," Sakaki reluctantly admitted.

"That's the only reason?" Naomi queried as she deftly perceived that Sakaki was definitely hiding something.

"Yes," Sakaki quickly claimed.

Naomi breathed an exaggerated sigh as she reached down and opened the car door for Sakaki. As the tall girl obediently entered the vehicle, Naomi chided her. "You know, I really hate it when you lie to me, Sakaki." Before Sakaki could respond, Naomi slammed the door shut with a little more force than necessary. She then irately entered the driver's seat and spied a glum-looking Sakaki in the back seat. "I'll keep up my end of the deal, but in exchange I want you to tell me the real story sometime soon," she bargained.

Sakaki didn't say anything; instead, she just nodded and made an affirmatory sound.

* * *

More than a little confused and growing quite impatient, Kaorin peeked out from her hiding place to find that Sakaki, the mystery woman, and even the car were all missing. "They're… gone," the cat-girl sadly noted. She was so focused on sorting out the voices from the ambient noises of the city, Kaorin completely failed to notice that they had left. Confused and dazed, she slumped down to her knees as her thoughts overflowed. While she was nothing short of ecstatic to hear Sakaki name her as a friend, it was devastating to learn that, for some unknown reason, Sakaki's mother wanted Sakaki to have nothing to do with her. And perhaps even more confusing was the mystery of what Sakaki was lying about. Did she really not see her as a friend? Or was that mystery woman mistaken? Sakaki wouldn't lie, would she?

Kaorin wanted answers but came up with nothing but more and more questions. Worse still was the fact that she could do little to answer any of them. If Sakaki's mother had it in for her, then going to Sakaki's house was out of the question. Calling her might be an option, but she couldn't do it while she was in a car with that beast of a woman. And if her mother found out that she had called, it would definitely mean trouble for Sakaki. Kaorin didn't want to cause her idol any more trouble than she already had. "What do I do?"

* * *

A/N: And so the groundwork is laid for... well several things. The sports fest will occur in a few chapters. Before then, though, another person is going to meet the meteorite...


	18. Losing Hope

A/N: This chapter is the longest so far. Considering how many chapters this story has already racked up and how little it has progressed I think I'll try to make all the subsequent chapters longer, too.

* * *

"Sensei, isn't there something you can do?" Kagura despairingly asked as she clung to the edge of the school's pool.

Nyamo sighed as she followed Kagura's gaze to a frenzied crowd of students crowded around the pool's locked gates trying their damnedest to see Kagura in action, all the while shouting and whistling to root the tomboy on. "Just try and bear with it," Nyamo encouraged. "We're closing the pool at the end of this week anyway. So… just bear with it."

"Why is this happening to me?" Kagura moaned as she slipped back into the water, eliciting ever more cheers from her fans as the athlete returned to swimming.

"Jeez," Nyamo complained as she turned again to the crowd of rowdy students. "Things around here just seem to get stranger and stranger." As if to prove her statement, a sudden motion caught Nyamo's eye as she saw a skirt-wearing student jump over the crowd, hit the bars of the gate for a split second as she jumped even higher, flipping up and over the gate encircling the pool. Nyamo was more than a little shocked to watch a certain cat-girl land gracefully on her feet a few meters in front of her.

"Ah, Kurosawa-sensei," Kaorin greeted as she approached. "Is Kagura here?" she inquired as she tried to look around the gym teacher towards the swimmers.

"Too sick for gym, huh?" Nyamo accused as she stared down a now nervous Kaorin.

"Kagura is...," Kaorin started, trying to avoid Nyamo's glare.

"This area is reserved for the swim team, only," Nyamo irately informed Kaorin as she pointed towards the locked gate. "If you want to talk to Kagura, do it once we're done here."

Kaorin sighed as Nyamo escorted her towards the gate, but as they approached it became apparent that opening said gate wouldn't be in everyone's best interest. Kagura's barking fans were now trying to replicate what Kaorin did and were trying to climb over one another to get over the fence.

"Cut that out!" Nyamo yelled through her small yellow megaphone, forcing Kaorin to cover her sensitive ears.

Kaorin hesitantly uncovered her ears as Nyamo withdrew the conical device from her mouth. "That really hurt, you know," she whined.

"S-sorry," Nyamo apologized with sigh. "I don't suppose you'd mind leaving the way you came in, would you?" the gym teacher sincerely asked. "I get the feeling that if I open the gate, we'll have a stampede on our hands."

"Can't I just stay here, please?" the cat-girl begged.

It only took a glance at the rowdy crowd to make Nyamo relent. "Fine," she reluctantly allowed, "but wait over on the bench until we're done here, all right?"

"I… Okay," Kaorin lamented as she dragged herself over to the shaded bench and sat down. She had come to find out if Kagura knew anything she didn't, but it looked like it would be a while before she got any answers at all. Without any other recourse, the cat-girl pulled out her cell phone and dialed Chihiro. It didn't take but two rings before her friend picked up.

"Hey, Kaorin," Chihiro greeted, "Did you manage to catch Sakaki before she left?"

"About that…," Kaorin started with disappointment evident in her voice.

"You couldn't get to her in time?" Chihiro quickly guessed. "Don't worry about it," she rambled on, "You'll get to see her tomorrow, right?"

"It's not that," Kaorin refuted, "I got to talk to her… sort of."

"You two didn't get into another fight, did you?" Chihiro fretted.

Kaorin let out a frustrated grunt. "Stop guessing!" she scolded.

"Sorry…," Chihiro apologized. "So what happened, then?"

"It was really weird," the cat-girl recalled. "There was this huge woman there waiting to pick Sakaki-san up. She told me that Sakaki-san's mother has forbidden Sakaki-san from 'associating' with me. It doesn't make any sense!" she wailed, "I never did anything to Sakaki-san's mom. I've never even seen the woman before!"

Chihiro mulled her thoughts over a moment before responding. "What did Sakaki-san say?"

"Sakaki-san… asked that woman not to tell her mother that I came to talk to her," Kaorin remembered.

"But… isn't that a good thing?" Chihiro pointed out.

"Wha-how is that a good thing?" Kaorin argued. "How can I get closer to Sakaki-san if I'm not allowed to be around her?"

"That's backwards," Chihiro refuted. "It's Sakaki-san that isn't allowed to be around you, and she obviously doesn't care if she gets into trouble. I don't think she would have been hanging around you if she was worried about being scolded."

"Ah!" Kaorin exclaimed as she shot up at the realization, "That's right!" Her enthusiasm was short-lived, however, as she remembered how worried Sakaki seemed to be about her mother. Maybe Sakaki wouldn't think it to be worth the risk now that she had been caught. It could be totally plausible that the situation was no different after all!

Getting fed up with the sudden silence on Kaorin's end; Chihiro spoke up in a deadpan tone. "You've gone off the deep end and are thinking about a worst-case scenario again, aren't you?"

"N-not really _worst_-case scenario…," Kaorin dodged even as her thoughts got closer and closer to it.

"You do a lot of unnecessary worrying, Kaorin," her friend admonished.

"What else can I do?" Kaorin woefully asked, "I don't think I can even call her at this point."

"So?" Chihiro retorted, "Have one of her other friends call her. Chiyo-chan or someone like that."

"Well, I'm actually waiting here for the swim team to finish so I can talk to Kagura," Kaorin informed Chihiro as she looked up to still see the swimmers doing laps. "Since she is so close to Sakaki-san, I was hoping she'd maybe know something."

Chihiro hesitated before responding. "Isn't that a little… risky?" she asked rhetorically. "Kagura-san is pretty much your only competition for Sakaki-san."

"Kagura wouldn't do that to me," Kaorin reasoned, "and, more importantly, I don't really think she is… that way."

"How do you know that?" Chihiro snapped.

Kaorin actually jumped a bit at the unexpected outburst. "I-well, she seemed pretty unnerved when I told her I liked Sakaki-san," she recalled.

"Because you're after the same goal!"

"She promised to root for me and Sakaki-san!" Kaorin quickly and hotly countered. Hearing a high pitched whine, Kaorin removed the phone from her ear to find that the call had ended. "She hung up on me?" the cat-girl hissed as she glared at her cell phone. Although tempted to call her friend back and yell at her, Kaorin allowed it to pass as she put the small device away. "Jeez," she mumbled nearly inaudibly, "what's gotten into her?" Once again looking towards the pool, she found the swimmers still swimming. Sighing, the cat-girl laid out on the bench to wait for the swim team to finish their reps.

* * *

Once the swim meet had finally come to an end, Nyamo irately informed Kagura of her uninvited visitor as the teacher pointed to a now dozing cat-girl. "Take care of it," the responsible teacher ordered, "and make sure she doesn't jump the fence again."

"Jump the fence?" Kagura repeated as she approached the enclosure and retrieved her towel as the few die-hard fans that remained cheered from below. From the inside, the fence wouldn't be too hard to get over, but since the pool couldn't be below street level, it was built up on giant concrete block that added well over a meter to the height from the outside. "Something like that is…"

"She'd probably have done well if she didn't sit out for gym," Nyamo observed as she cast another glance at Kaorin. "It's getting to be a problem, considering she hasn't been to a full day of physical education in nearly a week."

"I'll talk to her," Kagura assured as she draped her towel around her neck and headed for her classmate.

"I'd appreciate it if you could talk her into staying for P.E. for once," Nyamo pleaded as she parted ways with Kagura and started towards the locker rooms.

As Kagura approached Kaorin, she couldn't help but smirk a bit. Instead of gently waking Kaorin, the tomboy instead whipped her head from side to side, slinging water all over the unsuspecting cat-girl.

"Waah!" Kaorin yelped as she slid off of the bench and landed face-down on the cement. She painfully pulled herself off of the cement and looked up to see a somewhat smug Kagura drying her hair with a towel. "Wh-what the hell was that for?"

"Sorry," Kagura apologized. "It just came to me."

"You've been spending too much time around Tomo-chan," the cat-girl chastised as she pulled herself to her feet.

"Seems like the only people I've been around recently are you and Sakaki," Kagura pointed out as she replaced the towel around her neck, "and since you're here, I'm guessing I'll get to see Sakaki again pretty soon."

Kaorin hung her head. "S-sorry," she earnestly apologized as she bowed, "I guess I have been taking a lot for granted, huh?"

"It-it isn't that big of a deal," Kagura dismissed, not wanting to push her new friend away. "Anyway, what is it that happened now? I thought you guys hit it off during P.E.?"

"N-not like that," Kaorin argued as she blushed and waved her hands. "We did make up, though."

Kagura grinned. "Here I thought you had another problem," the tomboy admitted, "but you're just here to brag, huh?"

"A-actually, there is a problem," Kaorin meekly informed Kagura. "I ran into Sakaki-san after school today, and she was with this huge woman."

"Ah!" Kagura interjected, "I saw her yesterday. She is huge!" Kagura excitedly told Kaorin as she stood tall and held her hand high in the air, estimating the height. "That woman was scary!"

"She told me that Sakaki-san wasn't allowed to be around me!" Kaorin blurted out.

Kagura gave her a puzzled look as she tried to wrap her mind around what the cat-girl had said. "She was mad that you were around Sakaki? That doesn't make any sense."

"She said something about Sakaki-san's mother forbidding Sakaki-san from 'associating' with me," Kaorin recalled. "I was hoping you knew something about it."

Kagura shook her head. "It's news to me. Did you do something to make her mom hate you?"

"Nothing," Kaorin asserted after a moment of contemplation. "I've never even seen Sakaki-san's parents at all!"

"Me either, come to think of it," Kagura realized. "I've been by her place dozens of times, but I've never really seen anyone there before."

That was when something hit Kaorin. "How-how does she even know me?" she wailed. "I've never seen her, so how does she know who I am, let alone come to hate me?"

"Why are you asking me?" Kagura choked out as she backed away from the suddenly aggressive cat-girl.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Kaorin offered Kagura a feeble apology.

"Instead of asking me, why don't you just confront Sakaki's mom?" Kagura suggested. "She's gotta be the one with all the answers, right?"

"I guess so," Kaorin reluctantly agreed.

"So go talk to her," Kagura insisted as she offered Kaorin a wave before turning towards the gate only to find at least a dozen fans staring at her. "Damn it," she cursed as she took an apprehensive step backwards.

Looking over towards the now open gate, Kaorin also spied the students. "Th-they're still here?" an astonished Kaorin stammered. "But why are they staying behind the fence?"

"This happened last time, too," a blushing Kagura affirmed as she grabbed her towel and used it to obstruct her fans' glorious view. "I guess Sensei told them off to keep them out of the pool area."

"Well, I guess that's kind of a good thing," Kaorin offered in a feeble attempt to console the tomboy.

"Yeah, but there's nothing to stop the girls in the group from following me into the changing rooms," Kagura pointed out with more than a little disgust.

"E-even still, it's not that different from normally changing for gym, is it?" Kaorin claimed with a lame smile.

"You haven't been to gym since I got so popular!" Kagura hotly retorted. "You'd think it was a peepshow or something," she practically growled as she sent a glare at her awaiting audience.

Kaorin gave Kagura a sympathetic glance. "So… what will you do?" she meekly asked.

"Not like I have a choice," Kagura resigned herself as she stared despairingly at the gate. "You're gonna go to Sakaki's place, right?"

"Ah… well," Kaorin fumbled as she tried to avoid the fact that she was scared to death of the prospect of actually going to Sakaki's home. "I-I don't really know where she lives." Although it wasn't a lie, it wasn't exactly the truth, either.

Kagura paused as she tried to remember Sakaki's address. "Umm…," she hesitated.

"I-I don't suppose you'd show me there?" Kaorin nervously requested. "I could use the support."

"Fine," Kagura agreed with a sigh as she once again viewed her awaiting fans with trepidation. "I still have to change though. You can meet me in the entrance hall. I'll need help cleaning out my shoe locker anyway."

"Right," Kaorin agreed as she started off towards the gate with Kagura trailing behind. "Let's see if I can make a good distraction," she suddenly offered as she charged ahead. Instead of heading down the stairs, she leaped up onto the fence and stayed crouched on top of it. Carefully keeping her panties out of view, she animatedly pointed in the direction opposite the gate. "Oh my god! What on earth is that?" she melodramatically yelled. It might have been the fact that a cat-girl was perched on top of a fence, her dramatic flamboyance, or maybe even fate, but as soon as Kaorin shouted and pointed, two cars collided just down the street.

Even Kagura, who was well on her way to sneaking past the crowd, stopped and stared for a moment as the drivers of the cars got out. "How?" her mind dazedly wondered as she pried herself away from the sight to slink off to the changing rooms.

Amazed by the situation herself, Kaorin jumped down off of the fence and effortlessly landed on her feet. As soon as her feet hit the ground, the cat-girl found the two arguing drivers pointing at her. Her tail and ears both went limp as she decided it would probably be a good time to go wait for Kagura in the school's entrance hall.

* * *

Kaorin sat anxiously by Kagura's shoe locker as she waited for the tomboy to show up. Already two girls and one boy had passed by and slipped an envelope into Kagura's locker. The cat-girl couldn't help but wonder how Kagura had gotten so incredibly popular all at once. With the exception of herself and a couple others, all of Sakaki's fans had instantly converted into Kagura fans. Even most of the fans that Kaorin had instantly made the day her ears changed went chasing after Kagura. Strange didn't even begin to describe it. No, it was more like her own ears and tail, something that was downright impossible. "What the hell is going on around here?" Kaorin queried aloud.

"Beats me," Kagura surprised the cat-girl as she walked in. "How'd you manage to do that, by the way?" Kagura asked as she opened her bag underneath her shoe locker.

"Dumb luck," Kaorin informed the tomboy, "Apparently standing on fences is distracting enough to drivers to cause accidents."

"Seriously?" Kagura inquired as she opened the locker only to have dozens of envelopes fall out into her awaiting bag. She then reached in time after time to retrieve the more stubborn letters and stow them away.

"Yeah," she sheepishly affirmed as she watched Kagura finally retrieve her shoes, "I heard them yelling about a cat-girl on a fence."

"I heard yelling, too," Kagura recalled as she exchanged her shoes, "but I couldn't make any of it out."

Kaorin fell in step behind Kagura as she started out of the building. "I still have trouble sifting through all the noise," the cat-girl admitted, "but I'm getting better at it."

"Noise?" Kagura questioned.

"There's lots of ambient noise in the city that these damned things pick up," Kaorin complained as she tugged at her ears. "And remember Tomo-chan's dog whistle? On top of everything else, there are a ton of new noises I can hear. It's really annoying."

"Sounds rough," the tomboy sympathized.

"You have it rough, too. Don't you?" Kaorin asked rhetorically. "Speaking of which, what're going to do with all of those letters?"

Kagura heaved her bag up to eye level as she measured the weight of her admiration. "The swim club only has one more meeting before we gotta close the pool," Kagura lamented as she stared at her bag. "Since I'll have a lot of free time once we cover the pool, I thought I might try dating a bit. These should help me get started, don't you think?"

"Since when were you so interested in dating?" Kaorin answered Kagura's question with another question.

"I always have a ton of free time in the colder months," Kagura reasoned, "I thought maybe dating could be fun."

"Do you have someone in mind?" the cat-girl queried.

Kagura shook her head. "Not really," she admitted. "I've been going through these letters though. Most of them are either just full of admiration or cliché, but some of them are really good." The tomboy elaborated. "I was hoping maybe you could help me with them. You seem to be pretty knowledgeable about everyone in school."

"Chihiro actually probably knows more than me," Kaorin admitted.

"Hmmm," Kagura pondered aloud as she mulled over the possibilities. "Do you think she'd want to help, too?"

"Ah!" Kaorin exclaimed. "I meant to talk to you about that. Did you have some kind of fight or something with Chihiro?"

Kagura shook her head. "I've hardly ever even talked to her," she pointed out, "Why do you ask?"

"I called her earlier," Kaorin started to explain. "She got super mad when I mentioned you for some reason. I thought maybe there was some bad blood between you two or something."

"I don't think I ever did anything to anger her," Kagura responded. "Maybe she's jealous that you've been hanging around me more often than her?"

"Maybe," Kaorin relented even though she was fairly certain that wasn't the issue.

Kagura stopped and pointed to a house down the street as it came into view. "That's Sakaki's house," she explained as she started towards it again.

"It's big," Kaorin marveled as they approached the front gate. "M-maybe I should just talk to Sakaki-san tomorrow at school," the cat-girl reasoned as she stared despairingly at the call button.

"We came all this way," Kagura argued, "No way I'm letting you back out now." The tomboy then grabbed Kaorin's hand and forced it to press the button. Kagura then shamelessly jumped away from the screen and out of the way, leaving a very nervous Kaorin awkwardly standing alone as the screen blinked to life, once again revealing Naomi's face.

Naomi was more than a little taken aback at the sight of the cat-girl. She was certain that the skittish girl would certainly stay clear of Sakaki at least for a little while after being told off. "I'm sorry, was I not clear earlier?" she irately asked. "Sakaki is not permitted to associate with you."

"I-I'm not here to see Sakaki-san!" the cat-girl boldly asserted. "I want to talk to her mother. I want to know why she doesn't like me!"

Naomi couldn't help but let a small smile tug at her lips. "My, my," she said in a favorable tone, "you are much braver than I gave you credit for." Her smile then faded away as she weighed her options. "I'm afraid I still cannot allow your entrance, though," Naomi asserted. "Sakaki's mother doesn't want you around at all."

"Why?" Kaorin demanded as she yelled at the small screen. "I've never even met Sakaki-san's family!"

Naomi breathed a sigh as the screen suddenly went dark. Kaorin was about to outright attack the hapless electronics when the front door opened. Still dressed in a business suit, Naomi exited the gate and came face to face with Kaorin and Kagura. "Let's take a walk, shall we?" she politely offered as she gestured away from the house.

Kaorin looked to Kagura as the tall woman started walking away. The tomboy responded with a subtle nod as the duo trailed after Naomi. "S-so are you going to tell us what's going on?" Kaorin insisted after following the woman in silence for some time.

"First off," Naomi started as she turned to face the duo. "You," she continued as she pointed to Kagura, "are off limits for Sakaki as well."

"What?" Kagura irately blurted out. "I was here yesterday!"

"On an errand for her," Naomi retorted as she pointed to the cat-girl. "Which is apparently grounds for unending scorn."

"What does Sakaki-san's mother have against me?" Kaorin spoke out in earnest, cutting the tomboy off. "What could make her hate me that much?"

"In a word, that woman is eccentric," Naomi started to explain. "She was enraged when she saw you on the news with Sakaki and grew to hate you simply because of your… appearance."

Kaorin's hands instinctively went to her ears as she feebly tried to hide them. "Be-because of these?" Kaorin mournfully asked.

"I won't sugarcoat it for you," the giant woman informed Kaorin as she gave her a sympathetic look. "She thinks you are a freak and are not worthy to even be in Sakaki's presence."

"Hey!" Kagura instantly jumped to Kaorin's defense as it appeared the cat-girl was on the verge of tears.

"It's not my opinion," Naomi defended herself. "Personally I don't have any problems with either of you."

"Kei! Kei is looking for a cure!" Kaorin blurted out as she kept her gaze locked on the ground. "If-if he can cure me, then… then…," she choked out.

Naomi shook her head despite the fact that the cat-girl wasn't looking at her. "I doubt her opinion of you would change, even if you did get rid of your 'accessories'."

"Then… what?" Kaorin asked as her voice cracked. "What can I do?" she demanded as she finally looked up, revealing a tear-stained face.

"Tears?" Naomi's mind reeled. Did this girl really care that much about Sakaki? As much as she wished she could help the pathetic-looking girl, Naomi knew just how stubborn her employer could be. She slowly shook her head as she averted her gaze. "N-nothing," she somberly informed Kaorin. "Once she makes up her mind about something… it'd take nothing short of a miracle for her to reconsider." Her words only served to further upset the cat-girl as she hid her face again and clenched her fists. "I'm really sorry," Naomi apologized as she decided it would be a good time to part with the two girls.

"Oi!" Kagura irately yelled at the departing woman. "I don't care what you or anyone else says," she declared as soon as Naomi turned back to her. "I'll hang out with Sakaki as much as I want!"

"Good for you," Naomi earnestly praised before continuing her retreat.

As soon as she had told the tall woman off Kagura turned back to Kaorin. Aside from the fact that she was shaking a bit, the cat-girl hadn't moved a muscle since Naomi's feeble apology. "Hey… don't give up," Kagura tried to encourage as she put a hand on Kaorin's shoulder only to have it immediately shrugged off.

"Leave me alone," Kaorin choked out.

Deciding that it might be best to give her some space, Kagura reluctantly agreed. "You'd better not give up," the tomboy asserted as she started off towards her own home.

* * *

As Naomi made her trip back towards Sakaki's house, she seemed to grow more and more agitated with each and every step she took. She was elated when she learned that Sakaki had been making friends at this high school and even happier when the tall girl had started coming out of her shell. And now that Sakaki had these friends that would fight for her, even cry for her, Sakaki's mother wanted to take that away from her. To say that it wasn't fair would be an immense understatement. It was now clear to Naomi why Sakaki was so brazen to keep these friends of hers.

Just as Naomi approached the front gate, she found her employer pulling up. She stepped aside and allowed her to enter before trailing after the vehicle. "Welcome home," Naomi choked out through grit teeth as Sakaki's mother stepped out of the car.

"What were you doing just now?" Sakaki's mother demanded as she gave Naomi a fierce glare.

"Chasing away a stray cat," Naomi quipped.

"Did anything happen?" she asked as she carefully gauged Naomi.

"Nothing of any significance," she shamelessly lied.

Apparently, Naomi's poker face wasn't up to par. Sakaki's mother easily saw through the façade to the unease storming inside the tall woman. "Did anything happen with my daughter?" she said with a cool tone.

Naomi shook her head. "Nothing that I couldn't take care of," she explained.

"Stop lying to me!" the short woman barked. "Tell me what you're hiding, right now!"

Naomi grit her teeth. While her boss's ability to gauge people was usually something admirable, right now it seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle. "So it was more like a stray cat-girl that I was chasing off," Naomi admitted, "but like I said, I took care of it."

Sakaki's mother immediately adopted a look of disgust. "That mongrel came here?" she demanded.

"I made it clear to her that she wasn't welcome here," Naomi assured.

"I hope you Tased it," the diminutive woman spat.

Naomi let the comment pass despite her simmering anger. "If that's all, I'll be going home," she asserted as she headed for her own car.

"Don't forget, even though you are off tomorrow, I still need you to pick Sakaki up from school," Sakaki's mother reminded Naomi.

"I know," Naomi simply responded as she got into her car, started the machine, and began to depart.

"I swear, if that _thing_ comes back by here, I'm calling the pound," Sakaki's mother grumbled as she watched Naomi exit the driveway and head down the street.

* * *

It was nearly sunset by the time Kaorin had dragged herself home. Even though Kagura had encouraged her not to give up, it was hard to keep hope in light of the giant woman's words. The only glimmer of hope left was the fact that Sakaki was apparently willing to go against her mother to be friends with her. But that in itself was a problem. Even now Kaorin felt guilty for getting Sakaki into trouble with her mother, who is apparently nothing short of a heartless demon.

"There you are," Aida noted as she walked by the entry way with a basket of laundry. "I was starting to worry."

"It-it's been a long day," Kaorin dismissed, not even attempting to put on a cheerier attitude.

"Want to talk about it?" she offered as she vanished into another room for a moment before reappearing without the laundry.

Kaorin shook her head after a moment of contemplation. Even her mother probably wouldn't be able to set things right. In fact, odds are that things would get even worse if she and Sakaki's mother started fighting. "I… I'd rather not talk about it," she pitifully responded.

"You're sure?" Aida encouraged. Kaorin nodded in response but didn't say another word. "If you insist," she relented as she headed back to do the laundry. "By the way, that doctor of yours was by here earlier today," Aida informed Kaorin. "He said he was looking for environmental causes for your ears and tail… whatever that means. He took a few things from the house to test."

Normally Kaorin would be more than a little concerned about something like this, but at the moment it didn't seem to rouse her at all as she dragged herself towards her room. "I guess… it's all up to Sakaki-san," Kaorin realized as she flopped down on her bed. "And if she doesn't think it's worth it, then…," the cat-girl's mind trailed off as it refused to even think about the likely outcome. Instead she grabbed her pillow as she started to cry again.

* * *

A/N: This should be the last of the gloom and doom for a bit. With any luck I'll able to keep writer's block off of my back and update promptly again. Still no telling when I'll update my other story, though. Totally stuck on that one...


	19. Wild Card Cupid

A/N: It might have taken a long time to get this chapter done, the fact that it's about five times longer than the average, and three times as long as the last chapter should make up for it. It might drag on being so long, though. In fact, this is the longest single chapter that I've written to date. I just hope that it doesn't drag on for too long. The next should be shorter, for better or for worse.

* * *

It took Kaorin every ounce of courage she had to get up and head for school. After all, she had already resigned herself to the fact that Sakaki's mother couldn't be reasoned with. The last glimmer of hope left for the cat-girl was the slim possibility that Sakaki either didn't much care what her mother said, or that somehow, in some way, Sakaki would find that their friendship would be worth disobeying her mother and the possible consequences that entails. As much as she wanted to shift the balance in her favor, Kaorin couldn't come up with a single trump card to aid her in swaying Sakaki.

Just as it seemed things couldn't get worse, Kaorin caught sight of what was waiting for her at the front gate. Even worse than any paparazzo, her doctor seemed to be waiting for her. And worse still, he was biding his time by harassing all the girls as they passed by. "What the hell are you doing here?" Kaorin hissed as she ran up to the object of her scorn.

"Ah! I've been waiting for you, Kaori-chan," Kei greeted with a flawless smile. "It was getting a bit boring just watching all these normal girls."

"What do you want, pervert?" Kaorin spat.

Kei produced a small, round object from his pocket and tossed it into the air a few times. "I thought you might want this back," he explained.

"My meteorite!" Kaorin identified the object as she deftly swiped it away from Kei. "How did you get it?"

"I took it from your room," the doctor shamelessly admitted. "I was hoping it was carrying some alien spores… or at least radioactive, but alas, it seems to just be a hunk of metal."

"What else did you take?" Kaorin growled as she placed the meteorite in her bag.

"Just a few things that might have contributed to your condition," Kei claimed. "That was the best shot, though," he lamented. "I was really hoping for a rogue alien virus."

"Don't mess with my stuff!" Kaorin scolded. "Whatever you took, I want it back!"

Instead of paying Kaorin any mind, Kei glanced over his shoulder before taking a sudden step to the side. Just as he did, and orange blur appeared and impacted Kaorin, knocking her to the ground. "Still far too slow, Chiyo-suke," Kei chided as he looked at the redhead atop a dazed Kaorin.

Chiyo stood as she rubbed her head. "I'll catch up to you soon enough!" she boldly asserted. "I'm already a junior!"

"Big talk for such a little girl," Kei teased.

"You two… know each other?" Kaorin asked as she pulled herself to her feet.

"Ah!" Chiyo exclaimed as her demeanor did an about-face, "Kei-san's father and mine are really good friends."

"Even though Mihama-san is far less successful than my old man," Kei claimed. "Just like how Chiyo-suke can't match me in anything, either," he selfishly boasted. "Not that anyone can really beat me at anything, anyway."

"Ya lost ta me," a certain Osakan interjected, catching everyone, including Kei, off guard.

"A-Ayumu-chan," Kei uncharacteristically stammered.

"You beat Kei-san?" Chiyo marveled with an expectant smile.

Looking around Kei, Osaka spotted her friends and waved to them. "We had a starin' contest, I think."

"Ah," Chiyo and Kaorin simultaneously spoke. "That makes sense."

"You make it sound like I was doomed from the start," Kei observed.

"You'd have a better shot at beating a photograph in a staring match," Kaorin informed him in a deadpan tone.

Kei chuckled as he shrugged his apparently inevitable defeat off. "I guess even I can't win them all," he conceded. "I suppose I'll just have to settle for being the best at _almost_ everything," Kei claimed with faux humility.

"I'm sure ya lost before that," Osaka asserted.

Kei stopped and thought for a moment, and Kaorin used the opportunity to slip onto campus as she dragged an oblivious Chiyo away from the growing headache. "Aside from losing to my ruthless little sister, I've only lost one other time," the doctor recalled.

"Eh?" Osaka marveled at the fact that he had seemingly rarely ever come in second place. "What happened?"

"Ah, it's a great story!" Kei claimed with a smile as he turned to find over half of his audience gone. Shrugging off the minor disappointment with superlative poise, he returned his attention back to an awaiting Osaka. "Anyhow," he boastfully continued, "a few months ago I got myself a brand new, imported sports car. I didn't even have it for a week when I ended up at a stoplight next to this crazy brunette in a really beat up car. One thing lead to another and we ended up racing each other. I would have won, but I took a turn a little too fast and crashed."

"Didja get hurt?" Osaka empathetically responded.

Kei shook his head. "Not at all," he claimed. "Although, that family was really, really mad about me knocking down their living room wall."

"I saw that on tha news!" Osaka recalled. "Didn't that car explode?"

"Just a little," Kei claimed as he held up his hands. "After the house fire and all of the rest of the hullabaloo, I had my license revoked, too," he complained. "I guess what they say about pride and falls is true, sometimes."

"Pride and falls?" Osaka repeated, completely oblivious.

Kei chuckled as he ruffled Osaka's hair. "I guess that's one thing you'll never have to worry about, eh, Ayumu-chan?" he teased, only confusing the girl even further.

"Eh!" a screeching voice indignantly shouted from behind Kei, "Osaka got a boyfriend?"

Kei turned to find a bespectacled brunette standing next to a slightly shorter girl who seemed to be pointing at him.

"Ah!" Tomo continued to rant, "And he's cute, too!"

"Who's Osaka?" he whispered to the spacey girl next to him.

"I am," Osaka woefully informed Kei.

In a second, Kei realized the girl had been talking about him. "You've got the wrong idea," he asserted, "Ayumu-chan and I are merely acquaintances."

Tomo, of course, didn't listen to a single word. "First Kagura, and now Osaka!" she shouted as she angrily pointed at Kei as if it was somehow all his fault. "I won't lose like this!"

"Is she deaf?" Kei wondered aloud with a bit of amusement, finding the wildcat's antics to be more hilarious than offensive.

"No," Yomi refuted in an almost bored tone, "just stupid."

"Hey!" Tomo hotly retorted. "Don't confuse me with Kagura!"

Yomi then waved her hand right in front of Tomo's modest chest. "Clearly not Kagura," she observed.

Tomo audibly growled as she, for once, had no retort against Yomi's dry wit.

As much as he would have enjoyed a good catfight, Kei decided to roll the dice to see if he could get even better luck. "Now, now, ladies," Kei spoke up as he tried to separate the duo. "No reason for two cute girls to go and fight, now is there?"

While Yomi just gave Kei a quizzical stare, Tomo lashed out. "Stay out of this, Osaka's boyfriend!" she shouted as she pointed at Kei.

"I keep telling you, I'm not her boyfriend," he asserted. "Honestly, this stunning meganekko here is more my type," he claimed as he eyed Yomi.

Yomi blushed at the comment. Thanks to her close proximity to a certain berserker dumbass, Yomi had rarely received any advances before. On the other hand, she wondered if she should be angry that this guy's gaze was just a little low.

Before Yomi had a chance to make up her mind and respond, Tomo jumped in. "Don't let her appearance fool you," Tomo seemingly seriously warned. "Yomi's a real bitch."

"Why you!" Yomi hotly retorted as she tackled the shorter girl to the ground.

"See!" Tomo managed to shout just before she hit the pavement.

Kei grinned as he watched the duo wrestle on the ground. "I got my catfight anyway," he gleefully noted.

"Tomo-chan and Yomi-chan are always like this," Osaka pointed out. "They're really good friends, though."

"Always fighting like cats and dogs, huh?" Kei guessed as he lamented the fact that he had no popcorn.

"A cat and dog?" Osaka pondered aloud.

Kei grinned as he tried to point at Tomo. "I think cat ears would suit the little one better," he observed.

Osaka nodded. "Everyone says she's like a wildcat," she recalled.

"That leaves the brunette as the dog then, huh?" Kei asserted. "The little one said she's a bitch, after all."

Osaka giggled at Kei's lame joke, before a sudden thought hit her. "Hey! You're Kaorin's doctor, right?" she queried, "Could you really give them cat and dog ears?"

Kei made a mental note of Kaorin's nickname as he looked back to the Osakan. "I'm still figuring Kaori-chan out," the doctor admitted, "but once I have figured it out I might be able to give any girl cat ears!" "Would you like a pair, Ayumu-chan?" he asked.

"I think it'd be neat," Osaka earnestly responded as she tapped the top of her head where the ears would be.

Before Kei had a chance to respond, a familiar chime rang out as the gate rumbled to life and began to slowly close. Osaka gave Kei a quick bow as she made sure to get on school grounds before the gate closed, as Tomo and Yomi abandoned their fight to also prevent being late. As the gate closed, the trio started for the building.

"Forgetting something?" Kei spoke up.

The three girls turned to find Kei rummaging through a school bag. Tomo obliviously looked to Yomi, who had her bag, then to Osaka to find that she, too, had her bag. "My bag!" Tomo realized as she dashed to the gate. "Give it back!" she angrily demanded.

Finding something interesting, he removed it from the bag before handing the bag to Tomo through the bars in the gate. He then held up the small ball he had retrieved from Tomo's bag and examined it closely. "Catnip?" he wondered aloud.

"I knew it!" Yomi exclaimed as she also came to the gate in an attempt to drag Tomo away. "Don't give it to her," she ordered Kei, "She just wants to use it to torment Kaorin."

"Kaori-chan?" Kei pondered as he stared at the ball. He then grinned as he reached through the gate, ball in hand. "Do tell me how she reacts," Kei requested with a smile as he dropped the object into Tomo's hand.

"Wah! You're the best!" Tomo appreciated as she shoved the object back into her bag.

"Idiot!" Yomi scolded as Tomo hotfooted it towards school and away from the brunette. "Why would you enable her? She's going to make Kaorin miserable!"

Kei gave Yomi a quizzical look. "Isn't that the opposite of what catnip does?" he asked rhetorically. "If anything, she should enjoy it."

Yomi just growled as she chased after the retreating wildcat in hopes of getting the ball away from her before she can get it to Kaorin.

Kei kept smiling as he watched the girls depart. "This is fun!" he observed aloud. "Who knew that cat-girl would be such a great blessing?" Although his smile couldn't help but to fade as he realized his fun had come to end for some time. "Guess I should get to work," he lamented as he headed away from the school. "I wonder if I can find a stand that sells popcorn on the way…"

* * *

"Sometimes I really can't stand that guy," Kaorin complained as she dragged Chiyo away from Kei and Osaka.

"His personality might be kind of bad," Chiyo informed Kaorin as they headed towards the school, "but he really is a good guy despite that."

Kaorin nodded. "I know that," she admitted. "I wouldn't put up with him otherwise."

"He's really smart, too," Chiyo continued to praise the pariah. "Kei-san even taught me how to study."

Kaorin stopped in her tracks as she turned to Chiyo with a slightly shocked expression. "Are you saying that Kei made you a genius?"

"It's hard to tell," Chiyo elaborated. "Whether it's because of genetics, Kei-san, or some other force that I am who I am, but, in any case, Kei-san helped me to become myself, so I guess he deserves some credit."

Unable to follow Chiyo's words, Kaorin held her head as she gave up. "I think that sentence hurt my brain," she claimed only half-jokingly.

"I-I'm sorry?" Chiyo apologized, somewhat baffled.

Shaking her head clear of the befuddling thoughts, the cat-girl steered the conversation back to Kei as the duo entered the school. "So… You said that your family and Kei's are really close?"

Chiyo shook her head as she approached her own shoe locker. "Not really," Chiyo refuted. "I don't know Kei-san's mother or sister very well."

"Why not?" Kaorin inquired as she changed her shoes.

Chiyo hesitated a moment before responding. "Well… Kei-san's father divorced his mother a long time ago," Chiyo hesitantly revealed. "Since Kei-san's sister usually stays with their mother, I don't know either of them very well."

"I didn't know Kei's parents were divorced… or that he had a sister," Kaorin admitted.

"Ah, Kei-san and his sister Keiko-san don't get along," Chiyo recalled. "They used to spend some time together, but recently they've had to keep them separated."

"Separated?" the cat-girl repeated.

"As I understand it, they had a falling out or something and always fight if they see each other," Chiyo informed Kaorin as the duo started to leave the entrance area. "Keiko-san actually goes to this school," she recollected. "She was in our class but got transferred out when we got Kagura-san. If you really want to know more about Kei-san, you might want to talk to her."

"Some other time," Kaorin politely declined Chiyo's suggestion. After a few more moments of silence, Kaorin spoke again. "Why do you sing such praise for him anyways?" Kaorin inquired. "Didn't he insult you? You even tried to tackle him!"

"Ah, sorry about that!" an embarrassed Chiyo apologized as she realized she didn't apologize before about accidentally tackling her thanks to Kei's well-timed dodge. "When I was little, Kei-san kept saying that I would never catch him. To prove him wrong, I tried to catch him, literally," she explained as they climbed their way to their floor in a stairwell. "I know that I am a little too old to keep trying, but I know I will be able to catch him someday!"

"It'd probably help if you weren't so bad at sports," Kaorin offered.

Chiyo visibly deflated, making Kaorin regret her words a bit. "I know," she admitted as tears started welling up in her eyes. "The sports fest is soon, too… I'll drag everyone else down."

"At-at least you are more useful than Osaka and Tomo-chan," Kaorin offered in hopes of cheering up the suddenly glum girl.

"I really wish I could hurry up and grow up already," the small genius lamented. "Maybe then I wouldn't lose to everyone."

Unseen by either of the duo, a soft pink glow emanated from Kaorin's bag.

* * *

As Kaorin entered the classroom alongside Chiyo, she caught sight of Sakaki, and only then did all of the anxiety and trepidation return. The cat-girl quickly averted her gaze and made a beeline for her desk. Somehow Kei had managed to be a massive enough distraction that she even forgot about Sakaki, if only for a few minutes. Kaorin didn't know whether to be appalled or appreciative of the fact that Kei could even overshadow some of her worst nightmares.

"I'm surprised you showed up." A familiar voice woke Kaorin from her introspection. "I thought you said you didn't want to come to school last night?"

Kaorin looked up to find Chihiro standing next to her. "Mama said I couldn't miss any more school," the cat-girl lamented as she chanced a peek in Sakaki's direction only to find her talking to Kagura. "Besides that… I-it's no use trying to hide from the inevitable," Kaorin remorsefully explained.

"It sounds like you've already given up!" Chihiro admonished, garnering the attention of at least half the classroom.

"What else can I do?" Kaorin lamented as she flopped down onto her desk.

"Fight!" Chihiro enthusiastically cheered Kaorin on. "No matter what!"

"And how do I do that, exactly?" Kaorin proposed.

After a moment of thought, Chihiro deflated to a depressed state that was nearly as severe as Kaorin's. "I… don't know," she admitted, "but you can't just give up, either."

"Kagura said that, too," Kaorin recalled. "But, it's… hard."

While Chihiro tried to comfort Kaorin, Kagura was busy filling Sakaki in on what had happened at her house yesterday. "I dunno if what all she said was true," Kagura explained after relaying the majority of the encounter with Naomi to the tall girl, "but if it was, your mom sounds like a bitch… no offense."

Sakaki, of course, did take offense, even if she didn't show it. "Okaa-san… isn't a bad person," Sakaki defended.

"That's not really the point," Kagura asserted. "I wanna know what you're gonna do about it," she demanded before pointing to Kaorin, "and what you're gonna do about her, too." Sakaki's gaze immediately lowered. "I… don't know," she admitted.

The sound of the school's warning bell rang out as Kagura replied. "Well, you need to hurry up and decide," the tomboy asserted as she reluctantly headed for her own seat along with the rest of the class. After all, Yukari's wrath was something no one wanted any part in. Well, almost no one. As soon as Kagura got back to her desk she found a few of her loyal fans waiting for her, despite the risks.

For once, Yukari actually managed to drag herself into the classroom before the tardy bell sounded. Even more surprisingly, she seemed to not be in a foul mood. That, of course, didn't mean that she was at all nice or polite. "Oi! You there around Kagura, scram!" she ordered as she walked up to the chalk board. The die-hard fans offered quick apologies as they darted from the room, and just as that group left, Tomo came in sporting an air of victory. "You look like the cat that got the canary," Yukari observed, clearly jealous.

Tomo glanced at Yukari before breaking into laughter. The wildcat ended up laughing raucously all the way to her desk, much to everyone's bewilderment.

"Was it… something I said?" Yukari mumbled aloud as she started to get irritated. Before she had a chance to harass Tomo any further, the tardy bell rang, prompting the teacher's mood to swing wildly again. Grabbing a piece of chalk, she enthusiastically began to scrawl on the chalkboard.

While the absurd teacher had her back turned, Yomi cautiously crept into the room with Osaka in tow in hopes of sneaking in without getting caught. Of course, some people just have no sympathy. "Hey, Yomi!" Tomo enthusiastically shouted as she waved to the bespectacled girl.

By the time Yukari spun around, Yomi was already angrily grappling with Tomo. "Oi!" the teacher obliviously yelled, "Back to your seats!" As the duo dragged themselves to their seats, it seemed as though Yukari had completely and totally missed the fact that they had come in late. Without a doubt, it was due to the fact that Yukari's mind was somewhere else entirely. She dramatically motioned to the chalk board with three, large words scrawled on it: "Sports fest" on the first line and "VICTORY" written under it. "Sign ups for the sports fest end this week," Yukari barked to the class. "That means you only have a couple of days left to decide which events you are going to participate in," she ranted, "and don't go and do something stupid like sign up for an event just because it seems like it might be fun. Just do what you know you'll do well at."

The entire class sweatdropped as they did their best to suppress moans. It was clear to the majority of the class that Yukari must have just recently made her yearly bet with Nyamo. Predictably, Tomo shot up. "Yukari-chan! Drinks-" she started, but before she could get another syllable in, a piece of chalk collided with her forehead.

"Shut up, idiot!" Yukari barked, hoping that she could coerce her own class into working hard for free.

Osaka then raised her hand. "Are you gonna buy us drinks like last year if we win?"

"Graaah!" Yukari incoherently yelled as her feeble plan was shattered. In vengeance, she also threw a piece of chalk at the spacey girl, followed by an eraser, and then a book. Had there been something bigger and heavier nearby, she probably would have thrown that, too.

"I'm sorry!" Osaka feebly apologized as she covered her head and did her best to duck.

* * *

By the time lunch had rolled around, nothing had changed. Kaorin was still a black hole of gloominess, Tomo still hadn't found a good opportunity to deploy her prank, Yomi still hadn't managed to steal said prank away from Tomo, and it would seem as though Sakaki still hadn't made a decision.

As with any other break, Kagura instantly appeared at Sakaki's desk as it was the only place her fans didn't dare to tread. But even that was changing, as they seemed to be getting braver and bolder. Before Kagura had a chance to retrieve her own bento, one appeared in front of her. As she looked up she found a blushing girl extending the bento towards her. "H-Here Kagura-sama, please accept this," she requested with a bow as she shoved the box at Kagura before running away.

Kagura stared disbelievingly at the boxed lunch. "Sama?" she wondered aloud as she placed the gift aside and retrieved her own bento.

Sakaki, on the other hand, had completely missed the entire encounter despite being right next to it. Instead, her attention was once again focused on the cat-girl sitting nearby. The poor thing's ears and tail sagged and Sakaki could have sworn that if she looked closely enough, Kaorin was surrounded by a suffocating fog of gloominess. Although the sight pulled at her heartstrings, she also found the sight be more than a little cute.

"This is getting more than a little annoying," Kagura complained.

Finally turning back around, Sakaki found her entire desktop filled with handmade bento. It was so bad that she had trouble finding her own, which was underneath one of the gifted ones. "Where did these…?" Sakaki wondered to herself as yet another girl showed up, offered one to Kagura, and ran away. That was definitely new. Not only had Sakaki not seen it happen to Kagura before, but she herself had never received a bento, either.

Kagura quickly cleared off most of the desk, stacking the bento to the side on the floor. "This has gotten more than a little out of hand," the tomboy continued to complain as she tried to get back to eating her meal in peace. In just a few moments Kagura realized that the meal would be anything but peaceful as she watched Sakaki split her attention between picking at her meal and glancing across the classroom at the oh, so glum Kaorin. "Have you made up your mind, yet?" Kagura growled with a bit of annoyance.

Sakaki hesitantly pried her gaze away from the cat-girl, but as soon as she caught sight of the exasperated Kagura, Sakaki turned her attention to her food. She started to say something, but hesitated and instead took a bite to hide it.

Watching Sakaki only served to further agitate Kagura. While she understood that Sakaki was in a lose-lose situation, she had never seen the normally straightforward, decisive girl so uncertain of herself, and for some reason it was really bothering the tomboy. Instead of confronting her any further, Kagura simply took out her frustrations by wolfing down her meal.

At about that time, Chihiro had hurriedly finished her lunch so she could be by her ailing friend's side. "Now's your chance," Chihiro encouraged as she approached Kaorin's desk. "Sakaki-san is going to sit out for gym again, so this is the only time you have to talk to her, right?"

"I don't wanna," Kaorin refused as she absent-mindedly picked at what was left of her food.

"Running away won't solve anything," Chihiro urged. "Isn't your best chance still to confront her?"

It took Kaorin a couple of seconds to find the words to express her feelings. "That's like if you got taken hostage at gunpoint and saying that your best chance is to charge at the gunman," Kaorin reasoned. "Even if it is true, it's almost impossible to find someone with enough courage to actually do it."

"You're saying that Sakaki-san is as scary as looking down the barrel of a gun?" Chihiro scoffed.

Without saying a word, Kaorin animatedly nodded while wearing a pathetic look.

Chihiro sighed as she cradled her head in her hand. "Around Sakaki-san you're always so-," she started off, but stopped midsentence as her facial expression turned to surprise, "I-I'll leave you alone." And with that sudden statement, Chihiro gave a wave as she retreated.

A very puzzled Kaorin watched Chihiro do some sort of pantomime that she couldn't quite understand. As she stupidly tried to signal back her confusion, a voice rang out that made her heart beat wildly and her blood run cold.

"Excuse me," Sakaki politely greeted Kaorin from behind.

"Sa-Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin blurted out as she spun around. Dreading what the tall girl might say, the cat-girl found herself for the first time horrified that she was in her idol's presence. "I-I, c-c-can I help you, Sa-Sakaki-san?"

"Umm…," Sakaki hesitated as she tried to put her thoughts together. "Kagura told me," the tall girl fumbled, "about yesterday…"

"Hey, Kaorin!" an annoying voice shouted, interrupting the duo.

Although she tried her best to be angry at the wildcat, Kaorin couldn't help but to be a bit relieved at the distraction. "What do you want?" the cat-girl asked with feign annoyance as she turned to the wildly smiling Tomo who was obviously hiding something behind her back.

Tomo only grinned wider. "Think fast!" she excitedly yelled as she threw the object from behind her back directly at Kaorin's face.

Despite Tomo being right next to her, Kaorin was able to react quickly enough to catch the object mere millimeters from her face. "Hey!" Kaorin scolded, but her expression quickly changed as a nostalgic scent reached her nose. Her face twitched a bit before she sneezed. "What…?" the cat-girl mumbled dazedly as she turned her hand over to examine the object she had just caught. The object in her hand was fairly familiar as she instantly identified it. "Catnip?"

Tomo and Sakaki both watched Kaorin twitching as she stared at the small ball. Tomo was eagerly awaiting Kaorin's next actions while Sakaki was just a bit worried at Kaorin's sudden change in mood. "Are you… okay?" Sakaki hesitantly queried.

Seemingly oblivious to Sakaki's concern, Kaorin finally succumbed to the euphoric herb. Acting more on instinct than anything else, the cat-girl lunged at the ball in her hand and sunk her teeth into it. She was so incredibly enamored with the small ball that she didn't even register any of her surroundings as she fell out of her chair and onto the floor. Kaorin just kept furiously attacking the small object, completely oblivious to the world around her.

Tomo was relishing every moment of Kaorin's humiliation. The vicious girl just pointed at the cat-girl as she raucously laughed at her. "Wow! This is going better than I thought!"

Although most of the class was more than accustomed to Tomo's clowning around, it was usually still interesting enough to garner everyone's attention, especially her de facto conscience. Yomi mentally kicked herself for being distracted enough by her meal to take her eyes off of the irresponsible wildcat. Even Yomi had a hard time believing what she saw when she arrived. "Damn it, Tomo!" the bespectacled girl admonished. Since no one in the growing crowd seemed to be doing anything, Yomi stepped in and wrestled the ball away from Kaorin. "Get a hold of yourself!" she encouraged as she made a beeline for a window and tossed the offensive object away. As soon as she released the ball, a blur rushed by her and out the window. Acting quickly, Yomi managed to grab a leg and prevent the cat-girl from plummeting headlong out of the window. "Quit… flailing!" Yomi ordered as she struggled to keep a hold on Kaorin's leg.

Luckily, help showed up as Chihiro grabbed Kaorin's other leg and even Sakaki finally snapped into action and pulled the cat-girl back into the room by her waist. "Don't be so reckless!" Chihiro scolded once the cat-girl was safely back on her feet.

Kaorin hardly paid her any mind. She just giggled as she tried to move forward, only to be stopped by hands lingering around her waist. As Kaorin reached resistance, she stumbled backwards until she again found an obstruction. "So soft," Kaorin purred, quite literally. The cat-girl dazedly craned her head backwards as she looked up to find a wonderful sight. "Sakaki… san," she mumbled as her light blush deepened.

Sakaki, too, wore a blush, as she held the inebriated and purring cat-girl in her arms. She was fearful that if she released Kaorin, she may do something dangerous or foolish. The fact that Sakaki got to hold the purring cat-girl was just a coincidental bonus, or at least that's what she told herself. "The nurse," Sakaki somewhat reluctantly suggested.

The tall girl's words went completely unheard. Kaorin just laughed as she did a 180° turn in place so that she was face-to-face with her idol. "Sakaki-san," she purred again as she boldly wrapped her arms around the taller girl's neck.

"Um… Kaorin," Sakaki started to protest as she removed her hands from Kaorin's waist. She then took hold of Kaorin's shoulders and gently tried to pry the cat-girl off of her.

A gentle coaxing, of course, wasn't going to have any effect on the intoxicated cat-girl. Kaorin continued doting on Sakaki by nuzzling the taller girl's neck. "Sakaki-san's the best," she mumbled, although it was so low that even Sakaki only caught her own name.

"S-Stop…" Sakaki feebly requested as she moved her grip to Kaorin's elbows as she did her best to detangle the cat-girl from herself.

Kaorin seemed to comply. She slackened her grip as she stopped nuzzling the taller girl. Instead of backing away, however, Kaorin stood on her toes as she did her best to raise her face level with Sakaki's. Lost in a daze, Kaorin instinctively leaned forward and boldly took Sakaki's lips in her own.

The shocking act made Sakaki's mind go numb as a suffocating silence enveloped the entire classroom. The gathered crowd and onlookers weren't the only ones struck mute by the sudden turn of events; even Kagura's fans became distracted by the incident. Tomo even stopped reveling in the success of her antics and stared slack-jawed at the duo.

The few seconds it took Sakaki to snap to seemed like an eternity for the tall girl. Instinctively reacting, she managed to forcefully push Kaorin off of her and into the nearby crowd of students. As soon as she was free of the clingy cat-girl, Sakaki covered her mouth with the back of her hand as her mind struggled to catch up. The tall girl found herself breathing hard as she felt her heart beating in her ears. Losing her ability to maintain her composure, Sakaki spun on her heel and marched out of the room.

Few people actually noticed the tall girl's flight. Instead everyone's attention seemed to stick with the cat-girl, who had impacted Tomo when Sakaki had thrown her off of herself. The duo ended up on the ground and the bemused Kaorin continued her actions on a struggling Tomo. It took Tomo a few seconds to pry the cat-girl's face away from her own. "Get 'er off!" She wailed as she feebly tried to shove Kaorin away.

"You're not Sakaki-san," Kaorin observed as she laughed, still laying on top of Tomo.

While Yomi was content to just stand by and watch Tomo get her just desserts, not everyone was willing to let Kaorin run amok. Quite unexpectedly, it was two boys who came to Tomo's rescue and pulled the confused cat-girl away. As soon as the weight was lifted from Tomo, she sat up and rapidly drew her forearm across her mouth. "My first kiss," she woefully mourned. "My first kiss!" Tomo repeated after just a couple of seconds, this time her voice laced with anger.

The object of Tomo's scorn paid the vengeful girl no mind as she stood face-to-face with the two boys that had lifted her from the wildcat. Not surprisingly, one of the two boys happened to be the one with a small obsession for the cat-girl. Without hesitation, he moved in close to Kaorin and took her face in his hand. Taking advantage of the girl's stupor, he leaned in and took Kaorin's lips in his own as his other hand trailed down and met the tip of her tail.

"Don't take advantage of her!" Chihiro protested as she made her way towards her friend. As she got close, however, the second boy stopped her in her tracks. "Let me through!" Chihiro demanded as the smug youth held her at bay.

Fortunately, Chihiro wasn't Kaorin's only friend. Kagura made it to the scene while Chihiro was detained and forcibly pulled Kaorin away from the boy. "We're getting you to the nurse's office, now," the tomboy forcefully informed Kaorin as she started dragging the cat-girl towards the door. None too eager to take another trip to the nurse, Kaorin struggled to free herself from Kagura's grasp. "What, now you put up a fight?" Kagura spat as she grappled with Kaorin.

"She obviously wants to stay with me," the boy claimed as he approached the fighting girls.

"I don't wanna!" Kaorin whined as she fought with Kagura. Thanks to her amazing lack of inhibition, the cat-girl quickly gained an upper hand in the struggle by sinking her teeth into Kagura's hand. With the tomboy's hand still in her jaws, Kaorin then kicked the boy below the belt and successfully opened up an escape route. With Kagura and the boy distracted with their injuries, Kaorin made her flight by nimbly jumping across desk tops and finally out of the still open window.

Seeing the cat-girl disappear out the window made Kagura completely forget about the pain in her hand. "It's the third floor!" the tomboy shouted as she and many other students ran to the windows. When Kagura got to the windows and looked down, she found nothing. "Where'd she go?"

"She ran around the building!" a random student shouted in response.

Kagura growled as she decided that jumping after her would be useless and that going around the long way would be equally futile. "Damn it," she cursed as she looked around, not sure what to do from here on out.

"We need to find her before she gets herself into any more trouble," Yomi asserted as she abandoned the still whining wildcat.

"All right," Kagura quickly agreed, "let's all split up and try to find her!" Although she was only trying to enlist the aid of her friends as well as Kaorin's, the entire fan group that was in the room jumped at the opportunity to please Kagura, and an entire stampede of students rushed out of the room. After staring after them for a few moments, Kagura finally snapped to as she rushed out in search of Kaorin as well.

Chihiro was right on Kagura's heels, and Yomi started after them as well. "You going to be all right on your own?" Yomi asked Tomo just before departing the classroom.

The wildcat jumped to her feet. "Revenge!" she shouted before dashing out the door opposite the on Yomi was standing in.

Yomi groaned at Tomo's ability to change moods in a flash. "It's your own damn fault," the bespectacled girl mumbled knowing full well Tomo was already too far away to hear a single syllable.

"I'll wait here in case she comes back," Chiyo earnestly offered, having been until now lost in a sea of spectators.

"All right," Yomi affirmed with a nod before leaving. She opted to go in the direction opposite the wildcat.

With Yomi's departure, only Osaka, Chiyo, and a few other students remained in the room. "You're not going to go help look?" Chiyo asked Osaka as she surveyed the destruction left behind by the chaos.

Osaka shook her head as she put her finished bento away. "I was always bad at hide an' seek," she simply explained.

"I think this situation is a little more like tag," Chiyo pointed out.

"Ah, I'm bad at that, too," Osaka replied.

"Me too," Chiyo admitted.

* * *

Soon after leaving the classroom, Kagura found the entire school in an uproar about Kaorin's situation. Students from all different classes were scrambling about searching for the wayward cat-girl. It was a bit reassuring to see so many people looking for Kaorin. She will surely be found in short order with so many eyes and ears searching. Kagura shook her head and stepped up her pace as she put aside the distractions. Kaorin still had to be found, and the best place to look would be outside near where she was last seen.

"Kagura-san!" Chihiro called out to the tomboy as she fell in step beside her. "You should go to the nurse!"

"Nurse?" Kagura repeated as she slowed to a stop.

"Your hand!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed to it.

Kagura glanced down just in time to see a bead of blood separate from her hand and drip down to the floor, making a tiny splatter. Alarmed, the tomboy quickly covered her injured hand with her other hand to prevent more blood from soiling the floors. "I totally forgot about that!" Kagura realized as she cradled the bite wound.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Chihiro asked, unable to believe that Kagura had totally forgotten about it.

"Now it does!" Kagura complained as she took off in a sprint. "I gotta go to the nurse's office- you go find Kaorin!"

Chihiro struggled to keep up with Kagura. "You forgot that it hurt?" she asked, completely amazed as the duo reached a stairwell. Unable to match Kagura's pace, Chihiro simply stopped and leaned over the railing as Kagura quickly descended the stairs. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"It'll be fine!" Kagura shouted back as she quickly made her way to the ground floor.

It didn't take the athletic girl very long at all to reach the nurse's office, but as she arrived she found no signs of the nurse at all. "Hello?" Kagura stupidly called out in the empty room. "Must be out to lunch," the tomboy assumed as she helped herself to the medical cabinets. It didn't take her long to find spray antiseptic, gauze, and medical tape. She awkwardly lugged the supplies to a nearby sink with her one good hand before setting it all down and turning on the water. Putting her hand under the running water caused Kagura to wince in pain. "Wow… It's really deep," she marveled through grit teeth as the water revealed the extent of the wound.

After shutting off the water and carefully patting her injured hand dry, Kagura grabbed the antiseptic and sprayed it directly into the puncture marks on her palm and immediately regretted it. The searing pain inflicted by the medicinal mist caused her to shriek in pain and cradle her injured hand against her chest. It took several seconds and deep breaths for the sting caused by the spray to subside, and a few more moments for her to work up the courage to spray the back of her hand. Once again paralyzed by the searing pain, Kagura hissed as the bottle fell free from her grasp and clattered to the floor.

"Kagura-san!" Chihiro fretted as she found Kagura clutching at her hand. "Are you all right?"

"It really stings," Kagura unabashedly admitted.

"That looks really bad," Chihiro observed as she ran up to Kagura. "Where's the nurse?"

Kagura shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. "Out to lunch, or something," she elaborated as she grabbed up the nearby gauze and held it to her hand. Keeping the bandages in place and wrapping them up was proving to be more than a little difficult with only one hand. Just as Kagura was about to ask Chihiro for a little help, the girl took the tape from Kagura and started wrapping the bandages. "Thanks," the tomboy mumbled as she held the gauze in place, "but aren't you supposed to be looking for Kaorin?"

"I was more worried about you," Chihiro reluctantly admitted as she wrapped up Kagura's hand. "With all those people looking, I'll bet Kaorin's already been found."

Although Chihiro had a point, something still wasn't adding up for Kagura. "I thought you didn't like me?" the athletic girl presumed.

"Eh!" Chihiro exclaimed with surprise written all over her face. "Wha-Why would you think that? I-I… that is… I don't have anything against you," she fumbled as she finished up Kagura's bandage.

"It's what Kaorin said," Kagura claimed as she tried to flex her fingers and was rewarded with another jolt of pain. "Speaking of which, we need to go find her," she changed the subject as she headed for the door. "Come on!"

"R-Right," Chihiro replied with a nod as she trailed after. "Let's try looking outside."

* * *

At about that time, a certain cat-girl could be found, of all places, on the school's roof. The first thing to register in Kaorin's mind was the sound of people calling out her name. "My head," she complained as the haze quickly began to dissipate. Still somewhat dazed, Kaorin walked over to the fencing and looked down to see dozens of students that all seemed to be looking for her.

"What's going on?" she wondered as she tried to remember what was happening. It was then that the sudden realization hit her. Not only did she fail to remember what was going on, she couldn't even remember coming to the roof. Somewhat panicked, she tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. Kaorin nearly jumped as she remembered that Sakaki was talking to her. Then she recalled that Tomo had interfered, and after that- "Catnip!" Kaorin exclaimed as she finally remembered. After Tomo gave her the catnip everything turned to a blur. "Damn that dumbass," she growled as she turned and headed back into the school building.

After arriving back on the third floor, she started to make a beeline for class 3 in order to confront Tomo. As Kaorin started down the familiar hallway, though, she caught sight of the boy who had attacked her just the other day leaning against a wall talking to another boy. Unwilling to face him, the cat-girl made a detour into the girl's restroom in hopes that he would move along soon. It was then that Kaorin realized she had no clue what time it was. She pulled out her cell phone as she entered the restroom. "Lunch is almost over," Kaorin observed aloud. Although it was good that not much time had passed, there was still a good ten or fifteen minutes she couldn't account for. Kaorin sighed as she looked up from the cell phone, and what she saw nearly made her drop the device. "Sa-Sakaki-san!" she exclaimed as she fumbled with her cell phone.

Sakaki did her best to maintain her composure. "Are you… feeling all right?" she choked out after a few seconds of awkward staring.

Kaorin nodded, ecstatic that Sakaki was concerned for her. "I can't seem to remember anything after Tomo-chan threw that ball at me," she said, admitting her most recent thoughts. "But aside from that I feel fine." Thinking that it was her appearance that had made Sakaki worried, Kaorin chanced a glance into a mirror. Sure enough, her face was covered in dirt and her hair a mess. "Ah! I look terrible!" she fretted as she turned on the water and began to wash her face.

"You really don't remember?" Sakaki hesitantly asked after a few more moments.

Sensing something amiss, Kaorin contemplated the question for a moment as she turned off the water and shook her head to clear most of the water from her face. "Did… something happen?" she asked as she put two and two together.

Sakaki gave Kaorin an uncertain nod as she handed the cat-girl a paper towel for her face. "Something…," the tall girl repeated as she prayed for a distraction.

"I didn't do anything crazy, did I?" Kaorin asked in a panic.

"W-Well…," Sakaki hesitated.

"Found her!" a girl's voice exclaimed as Kaorin was tackled from behind.

Kaorin struggled underneath the mystery girl for some time before managing to flip onto her back and see her face to face. Although she was the same grade, she wasn't part of class 3. "What're you doing?" the cat-girl angrily questioned as she continued to try to break free of the girl's grasp.

"Please don't bite me!" the girl begged as she continued to hold Kaorin down. "It's for your own good, y'know!"

"What are you talking about?" Kaorin demanded. "Let me go!"

"Kaorin is better now," Sakaki spoke up in the cat-girl's defense.

The girl quickly got off of Kaorin. "I-I'm sorry!" she apologized with a bow before helping the cat-girl to her feet. "I thought you were still… y'know…," the girl explained as she twirled her finger around her ear.

Kaorin gave her a confused stare. "J-Just what did I do, exactly?" she asked.

"Well… y'know…," she insisted as she pointed at Sakaki.

The cat-girl wondered briefly why this mystery girl would point at Sakaki, but quickly dismissed it. Whatever happened, it was no use trying to remember. "I don't remember anything," Kaorin mournfully informed the girl.

"Ah! Really?" she exclaimed, a bit more alarmed than necessary.

Kaorin nodded. "I can't remember it at all."

"Well, your name is Aida-san," she began as she counted the facts on her fingers. "You're in class 3, that's Yukari-chan's class, y'know. You're also a cat-girl, and um…"

"Stop," Kaorin ordered in an unamused tone. "I meant that I can't remember anything after I smelled the catnip."

"Oooh," the girl said as she nodded in understanding. "That's not nearly as bad as I thought, y'know."

The cat-girl let out a frustrated sigh. "Can someone please just tell me what happened?" she requested.

While Sakaki averted her gaze, the girl from another class was more than happy to relay the tale. "This is just word of mouth, 'cause I wasn't actually there, y'know." She then started counting on her fingers again as she recalled each tidbit. "I heard that you kissed a bunch of people, bit Kagura-sama, kicked Nagi-kun where it really hurts, and jumped out a three story window."

Kaorin was completely flabbergasted. "Ehh!" she exclaimed with a deep blush, "I-I k-ki-kissed people? Who?"

"I know Nagi-kun was one of them, but aside from that all I know is it was a couple of girls, y'know," the mystery girl informed Kaorin. She then adopted a strange look before reaching into her pocket. "Message," she mumbled aloud as she opened her phone. "Ah!" the girl exclaimed as she showed the display to Kaorin, "Here."

The color drained from Kaorin's face as she saw what was obviously herself draped over Sakaki like a drunken floozy as she locked lips with the taller girl. The cat-girl's mind went blank as her vision rapidly darkened.

"Ah! She fainted!" was the last thing that registered in Kaorin's mind as her body went limp.

Quick action on Sakaki's part kept Kaorin from having a hard landing. After catching the now limp cat-girl, Sakaki hesitantly moved to pick Kaorin up bridal style. Although she really, really didn't want to go, Sakaki figured that she should probably take Kaorin to the nurse. "I'll… take her to the nurse," Sakaki hesitantly informed the mystery girl.

"That's fine," she allowed, clearly not worried at all about Kaorin. "I'm gonna go brag to Kagura-sama," the girl boasted, "'cause I'm the one that found her, y'know!"

Sakaki gave a nod of understanding before heading out of the bathroom and headed towards the nurse's office. Just as she crossed the threshold into the hallway, the school bell chimed, signaling a warning for everyone to get where they needed to be. Unfortunately for Sakaki, that meant having to brave a stampede of students as they headed back to their own classrooms. Worsening Sakaki's plight was the fact that most of the students were more than a little interested in the limp cat-girl in her arms. In no time at all, an entire swarm of students had Sakaki and Kaorin completely engulfed. Most of them were inundating Sakaki with questions and accusations, pressing the poor girl to a near panic.

Just as Sakaki was reaching her limit, a saving grace appeared in the form of a familiar teacher. "Oi! Break it up and get to class!" Nyamo ordered as she clapped her hands. While most of the students reluctantly scattered, it took more insisting on Nyamo's part to get enough students to leave for her to find what had gathered so many students. "I-What happened here?" she demanded as she rushed to check on the girl in Sakaki's arms. The response she got was an unintelligible cacophony as all the remaining students tried to speak at once. "Everyone but Sakaki-san, back to class, _now_!" she barked dangerously, sending all those remaining into a retreat.

"She fainted," Sakaki asserted as Nyamo worriedly checked Kaorin over to make sure the limp cat-girl wasn't in any serious danger. "I was taking her to the nurse."

"You're sure she just fainted?" Nyamo inquired as she gently brought her hand to Kaorin's face a few times in a feeble attempt to stir the cat-girl.

Sakaki nodded. "It might be… because of the catnip," the tall girl informed her gym teacher.

"Catnip?" Nyamo wondered aloud as she looked up at Sakaki.

"Tomo-chan…"

"Ugh," Nyamo groaned at the mention of the berserker dumbass, "I get the picture. Can you get her to the nurse all right with your leg?" she seriously asked.

Sakaki gave another nod. "It's fine," she claimed.

"Hurry up and take her there," Nyamo insisted as she pointed in the direction of the nurse's office.

* * *

Sakaki was lucky enough not to run into anymore curious onlookers on her way to the infirmary. Although, her luck ended there as the nurse was nowhere to be found. Quickly taking matters into her own hands, Sakaki brought Kaorin over to the bed and brushed off a few bandages and a bottle that were carelessly left there before gingerly setting the cat-girl down. Although Sakaki wanted the nurse to assure her that Kaorin was okay, she wasn't willing to leave her alone, so she pulled up a stool and sat by the bedside as she awaited the nurse's return.

* * *

Little did Sakaki realize, the nurse wasn't far off at all. Having spotted Sakaki carrying the unconscious cat-girl into her office as she returned from lunch, the ailurophobe hesitated to enter. Although her conscious wouldn't let her place the girl in danger by not treating her, the nurse's fear of the cat-girl kept her from mustering the courage to actually enter. Time and time again, she'd reach for the door handle only to hesitate at the last second. As she fretted over the situation, another student showed up in need of her assistance.

"I'm glad you're back," Kagura greeted as she approached the nurse and held up her bandaged hand. "Sensei says that I can't do gym unless you give me the okay."

Somewhat happy to have a distraction, the nurse turned her attention to the tomboy. "You bandaged this by yourself?" she asked as she gingerly unwrapped the gauze.

"Yeah," Kagura affirmed, "Well… Chihiro lent me a hand, though."

As soon as the bandages were clear, the nurse gasped in surprise. "You were bitten?" she worriedly hissed as she looked at the freshly healing wound.

Kagura nodded. "I cleaned it though, and the bleeding's almost stopped, too."

"That's no good!" the nurse scolded, "You have to go to a doctor! An animal bite can bring about a lot of nasty infections!"

"It wasn't an animal," Kagura plainly informed the nurse. "Kaorin bit me."

"T-th-th-the cat-girl?" the nurse practically screamed.

Kagura nodded again. "Yeah," she assured, "so do I still- hey!" Before Kagura could finish asking if she still had to go to a doctor, the nurse fainted, falling headlong into the infirmary's door before crashing to the ground, completely unconscious.

* * *

While the nurse waffled outside the infirmary and dealt with Kagura, Sakaki was busy with a stirring Kaorin. "Are you awake?" Sakaki dumbly questioned as Kaorin opened her eyes.

"Sakaki… san," Kaorin mumbled as her mind slowly came to full consciousness. It took Kaorin all of a split second to recall the situation. "Sakaki-san!" she shouted as she finally caught up to the situation. As she yelled, the cat-girl recoiled away from Sakaki, landing her in the floor on the opposite side of the bed. Her reflexes managed to kick in, even on the very short fall. Kaorin ended up catching herself on her hands and knees instead of painfully face-planting onto the tile floor.

As soon as Kaorin disappeared behind the bed, Sakaki jumped to her feet as she leaned over to check on her classmate. Although her original intention was to ask if she was okay, one look at the cat-girl on her hands and knees looking up at her with a pathetic look made her mind go blank. "Soooo cute!" her mind screamed as a blush tinged her cheeks.

Kaorin quickly jumped her feet at the sight of the taller girl. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she repeatedly apologized as she bowed over and over. "I'm really, really sorry! I didn't mean to! Please forgive me!"

"You're sorry… For what?" Sakaki obliviously questioned.

"I-the photo!" Kaorin shouted as she kept her gaze lowered. "It was… did I-we… did we really k-ki-ki-kiss?"

Sakaki blushed again as she nodded. "Y-yeah," she affirmed as she remembered the embarrassing incident.

"I-I didn't mean to," she tried to defend herself, "or… at least I didn't think…I just- I'm sorry!"

Sakaki shook her head in response. "It was… because of the catnip, right?" she reasoned. "Since it wasn't your true feelings… then it doesn't count."

The tall girl's words wounded Kaorin a bit. In her heart, Kaorin knew full well that even if it was because of the catnip, there was no way she could have kissed Sakaki without heart. "Actually… my true feelings," Kaorin started, but quickly lost her determination to confess to her idol. "You're right," she relented as she looked away from Sakaki, ashamed of the blatant, cowardly lie, "It… doesn't count."

"That's… right," Sakaki dismissed.

With the immediate trouble done and over with, Kaorin climbed across the bed and back to the main area of the nurse's office. "I guess I should go back to class then," Kaorin shamefully dismissed as she looked at the time. As much as she liked Sakaki, she just couldn't stick around, considering the circumstances.

"Wait!" Sakaki requested as soon as Kaorin started away from her. Although Kaorin did stop in her tracks, she kept her back turned to Sakaki, too ashamed to face her. "I-I still wanted to talk to you… about Okaa-san."

"O-oh?" Kaorin replied as she reluctantly turned around, eyes locked on the floor.

"According to what Kagura said, Naomi-san was telling the truth," Sakaki explained to Kaorin. "Actually… right now, I'm in trouble with Okaa-san because of… that."

"You're… I-I got you into trouble with your mother?" Kaorin fretted as she finally looked up.

Sakaki shook her head after pondering the subject for a second. "I… didn't tell you," she reasoned, "It's my fault."

"But I-" Kaorin started, but the two girls were interrupted by a muffled shout at the door, followed by a thump as something struck the door with more than a little force. Sakaki might not have heard it, but Kaorin had been hearing mumbling for some time, though she didn't pay it enough mind to focus and hear anything intelligible. The one thing she did hear clearly enough was the shout, which was a single word that definitely had to do with herself.

Sakaki looked from the door back to Kaorin. "What was…?" she questioned as she looked back to the door.

"I heard a woman say "cat-girl" just now," Kaorin informed Sakaki as she cautiously approached the door. Opening it, she found Kagura kneeling over the AWOL nurse. "What did you do?" Kaorin accused at seeing the bizarre scene.

"I didn't do anything!" Kagura defended herself. "I just showed her my hand and she fainted!"

"Your hand?" Kaorin questioned as she looked to Kagura's hand to find the nasty bite mark left behind. "What happened to your hand?" she exclaimed, still unable to remember any of her wild run.

"You bit it!" Kagura hotly retorted as she tried to lift the nurse. Sakaki quickly came to Kagura's aid as the two worked together to get the nurse into the infirmary and to the bed as Kaorin followed trying to recall what happened.

"I… I'm sorry," Kaorin apologized, "I think I remember that annoying girl saying something about my biting you."

Kagura gave Kaorin a strange look. "Are you… back to normal now?" she asked as she studied the cat-girl closely. "You're still acting kinda weird."

"I'm myself again," Kaorin claimed, "I just can't remember anything that happened after Tomo-chan threw that ball at me."

"Really?" Kagura asked in disbelief. She then pointed back and forth between Kaorin and Sakaki. "So you don't remember that you two…" Kagura trailed off.

Both parties blushed. "I don't remember it, but apparently people took pictures of it with their phones," Kaorin woefully explained.

"A-ah," Kagura replied as she stared at Kaorin.

"I-I'm sorry about biting you," she honestly apologized as she bowed, "and anything else I might've done."

Kagura held up her hand again. "It doesn't even really hurt anymore," she dismissed, "besides that, it's not even really your fault."

"Kyaa!" a scream suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention to the nurse who was instantly out of bed and plastered against the wall furthest from Kaorin.

"You're awake," Kagura stated obviously as she pointed to her injured hand. "You still haven't told me what to do about this."

The terrified ailurophobe didn't seem to register Kagura's words at all. Instead, she subtly pointed at Kaorin. "L-l-look out!" she hissed, as if the cat-girl couldn't hear her, "she's right next to you!"

Kagura groaned as she facepalmed. "She's better now; she won't bite," Kagura assured. To prove her point, but unwilling to risk her only uninjured hand, Kagura grabbed Sakaki's hand and held it in front of Kaorin's face. "See?" Kagura assured, only to watch the nurse pale and once again faint. "What the…" she started to question before turning to find Sakaki's hand in Kaorin's mouth, "…hell?" Kagura quickly smacked Kaorin in the back of the head, prompting her to spit out Sakaki's hand. "Are you all right?" the tomboy asked as she checked Sakaki's hand. While Kaorin bit her hard enough to leave indentations in Sakaki's skin, it wasn't hard enough to pierce it.

"Huh?" Kaorin wondered as she rubbed the back of her head and found Kagura doting on Sakaki. "What happened just now?" she asked as she wiped excess saliva from her mouth.

"That wasn't funny!" Kagura scolded, assuming Kaorin was playing a prank since Sakaki was more or less uninjured. "I can't go to P.E. until she gives me the okay!" she continued to rant as she pointed to the unconscious nurse.

Kaorin shook her head. "I… don't understand," she defended herself.

"You bit me… again," Sakaki informed her as she showed her hand with the fading indentations to Kaorin.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Kaorin apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"What do you mean, 'again'?" Kagura questioned as she took a step away from Kaorin. "Maybe I should keep my distance."

"No, no," Kaorin countered, "It's only Sakaki-san that I bite." Only after saying that did Kaorin realize the stupidity of her comment, especially considering her idol's proximity. "Not that I mean to!" she instantly affirmed as she turned back to Sakaki. "I don't know why!"

Sakaki stared at her own hand as she wondered why herself. "It's… all right," she forgave Kaorin. "It didn't even break the skin."

"Hey, I think she's waking up again," Kagura noted as she pointed to the nurse who was still lying on the floor. "Kaorin, you should probably leave. You kind of freak her out."

Even though Kaorin knew it to be true, it still hurt a bit to hear it out loud. "I… r-right," the cat-girl relented as she trudged towards the door.

As Kaorin exited the room, Sakaki trailed after her. The tall girl had yet to talk to Kaorin about her mother, after all.

"Wait," Sakaki requested for the second time as she exited into the hall to find Kaorin slowly plodding away.

"Sakaki-san," Kaorin sadly noted as she turned around. "S-sorry… about your hand."

"You… already apologized about that," Sakaki pointed out.

"I've screwed up so much today, I don't even know what's what," Kaorin mournfully admitted as she ruffled her own hair in frustration. "I've really, really messed up!" she kicked herself as she leaned against the near wall and slumped down to the floor in a fetal position.

Sakaki hesitated as she realized she had no clue what to do in this kind of situation. After faltering for several seconds, the tall girl opted to sit down next to Kaorin. "It's Tomo-chan's fault… right?" Sakaki offered in hopes of cheering Kaorin up.

"It doesn't matter," Kaorin claimed as she shook her head. "In everyone's eyes all that happened was that I went on a crazed rampage."

"I know you didn't mean to do those things… Kagura, too," Sakaki asserted.

"B-but everyone else…" the cat-girl complained.

"They… aren't your friends," Sakaki pointed out, "so… it doesn't matter what they think."

Although there was more than a little wisdom in Sakaki's words, it still wasn't enough to calm Kaorin's panic. "I'll still get bullied because of all of this," she reasoned as she tugged at her ears, "and thanks to these dumb things I won't be able to ignore it!"

Fresh out of pep talk, Sakaki just awkwardly sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity while Kaorin bemoaned her fate. In the end, instead of finding comforting words for Kaorin, Sakaki selfishly spoke what was on her own mind. "A-about Okaa-san…"

Kaorin flinched at the mention of Sakaki's mother. Of course, the gods wouldn't let her off the hook until she was completely without hope. "Do-do we have to talk about this now?" Kaorin lamely tried to dodge as she wearily cast a glance in Sakaki's direction.

Sakaki nodded an affirmative. "We might not get another chance, today," she asserted.

"I… guess not," Kaorin relented as she again buried her face in her knees.

"The thing is-"

"There you are!" a voice rang out that prompted both girls to shoot up off the floor and assume defensive positions.

"Ki-Kimura-sensei!" Kaorin observed.

"I've been looking all over for you," the bizarre teacher informed Kaorin. "It's P.E. and you should be in the pool! In a swimsuit!"

"S-shouldn't you be teaching right now?" Kaorin countered.

Kimura stared at the cat-girl as if she had just said the dumbest thing ever. "Today might be the last day for the pool," he seriously claimed. "I'd be a fool to miss out on this chance!"

"Well I'm not going to gym today," Kaorin announced as she pointed to the infirmary sign right next to her. "I'm not feeling well."

"Then why aren't you in there?" Kimura asked as he pointed to the infirmary's door.

"Kagura's in there right now," Kaorin woefully dodged, "besides, the nurse is afraid of me."

As if on cue, the door to the infirmary opened as Kagura stepped out, her hand once again bandaged. Of course, she was less than happy to find Kimura standing there. "I have to go to a doctor," she announced in a pre-emptive attempt to avoid having to deal with the perverted teacher at all.

"I'm sorry!" Kaorin quickly apologized as Kagura tried to make her rapid retreat.

"I said don't worry about it!" Kagura irately shouted back as she continued heading for the classroom so that she could retrieve her bag.

After indulging in watching Kagura depart, Kimura turned back to the girls. "So… about the pool…" he inquired as he adjusted his seemingly opaque glasses.

"I'm not going!" Kaorin blatantly refused.

"You can't just skip a class," Kimura argued, completely serious.

Kaorin cursed her luck. "I-I told you, I don't feel well," she asserted again, even though her recent vigor obviously indicated otherwise. As if to prove her point, she stormed into the nurse's office. Both Sakaki and Kimura watched in wonder as several crashes and bangs were heard from the infirmary. In just a few seconds, the nurse shot out of the room, down the hallway, and out of sight with nearly inhuman speed.

"She's… really scared of Kaorin," Sakaki observed in wonder.

Not wasting any time, Kimura headed into the infirmary to find an irate Kaorin sitting on the bed with her tail angrily swishing back and forth. "I didn't do anything," Kaorin asserted as she glared at Kimura.

"Without a nurse, that means you have to go to gym now, right?" Kimura suggested. "Don't you want to go to the pool?"

"You do realize that you could be at the pool right now peeping on dozens of other high school girls, right?" Kaorin countered in as a malicious a voice as possible.

"Ah!" Kimura exclaimed as he just now realized the fact. "You're right! You go change, and I'll see you there," he announced as he departed the infirmary in a hurry.

Kaorin breathed a sigh of relief as he left. "Somehow I feel like a real jerk," she mumbled as she realized she just sent the pervert to go harass everyone but her. Doing her best to let it roll off of her back, she flopped down onto the bed and stared up towards the bright lights as her mood quickly fell away from anger and disgust to angst and despair. Blocking the lights by draping her forearm across her face, the cat-girl tried to push everything out of her mind. Just as she was starting to succeed, a voice echoed out to torment her.

"Kaorin," Sakaki called out as she entered the infirmary. Spotting the cat-girl draped over the bed, the tall girl's eyes were immediately drawn to Kaorin's tail. "Are you… really feeling bad?" she asked as she watched the tail slowly sway and twitch.

"A little," Kaorin admitted as she hesitantly moved her arm a bit to send a glance in Sakaki's direction.

"Do you… want me to find the nurse?" Sakaki asked as she pointed to the door behind her.

Kaorin slowly sat up before shaking her head. "It won't do any good," the cat-girl argued as she stared at her lap.

"Sorry," Sakaki apologized in an attempt to cheer the glum girl up.

"It's not like you can do anything about it," Kaorin dismissed as she looked to Sakaki.

"I... guess not," the tall girl admitted.

Just as Sakaki was about to bring up the matter of her mother, the door to the infirmary opened to reveal the nurse cowardly hiding behind an irate-looking principal. The principal quickly sent a firm glare in Kaorin's direction. "What's this I've heard about you biting other students?" he demanded.

Kaorin didn't say anything as she just buried her face in her hands.

"It wasn't her fault," Sakaki quickly defended.

"You say that, but if she bit someone, then it's obviously her fault," the principal reasoned before pointing down the hall. "You two should accompany me to my office," he sternly ordered before leading the way down the hall.

The nurse made sure to give the cat-girl a wide berth before retreating into the infirmary as soon as it was clear. "That was so scary!" she exclaimed once the door was closed behind her.

As the principal escorted Sakaki and Kaorin down the hall, they bumped into Kagura as she descended the stairs with her bag in hand. "Ah, Kagura-san, I'm glad I caught you," the principal greeted as he stopped along with the other two girls.

"What's going on?" Kagura asked as she looked to her friends.

"The nurse told me that Aida-san bit you and Sakaki-san," the principal explained as he pointed to the girls in turn.

"Ah, yeah," Kagura admitted as she held up her bandaged hand and set down her bag. She then reached into her pocket with her freed hand and handed the principal a slip of paper. "The nurse says I have to go see a doctor about it," she explained. "I'm going now."

"It wasn't Kaorin's fault," Sakaki asserted a second time.

Only at Sakaki's words did Kagura put two and two together to figure out that Kaorin was in trouble. "That's right," Kagura defended, "it was Tomo-chan's fault."

Sakaki nodded to affirm the fact, causing more than a little confusion on the principal's part. "But… how can someone else force her to bite you two?" he asked, quite baffled as to why both so called victims would defend their own attacker.

"Tomo-chan gave her catnip," Kagura explained as she pointed to Kaorin. "It made her go nuts."

The principal sighed as he held his head. "Catnip? You can't be serious…"

"It really happened," Sakaki assured.

He then eyed the skittish cat-girl. "You're seriously telling me that somehow catnip caused you to bite these two?" the principal asked, doing his best to see if he could spot any of the telltale signs of lying.

"I-I guess so," Kaorin admitted as she withered under the principal's stare. "I don't really… remember anything after I smelled the catnip."

"Y-You're serious?" The principal skeptically asked, "You don't remember anything?"

Kaorin shook her head. "Tomo-chan threw the catnip ball at me, and the next thing I knew I was on the school's roof. I don't have any idea how I ended up there, either!"

"You know-" the principal started, but stopped halfway through the thought as the chimes signaling class changes rang out. Sighing, he returned the slip of paper to Kagura. "You go on," he dismissed the tomboy before pointing to Sakaki and Kaorin. "You two go back to class, but I want to speak with you after school in my office," he ordered, "And this 'Tomo', too." Having said his piece, the principal headed for his office as he tried to mentally sort out the zany story while the three girls left in two different directions.

* * *

The second Kaorin stepped into the room alongside Sakaki she caught grief from the most obvious source. "You!" Tomo angrily shouted as she jumped up and pointed at the cat-girl. "Give it back!"

Of course, without any memory of her wild run, Kaorin assumed Tomo to be talking about the catnip ball. "I don't have it!" Kaorin retorted.

"My first kiss!" Tomo shouted back as she quickly approached the cat-girl. "Take responsibility! How are you going to make up for stealing my first kiss?" she continued to rant as she got up into Kaorin's face, not seeming to care about the scene she was making.

Kaorin's anger was gone as her mind struggled to process what Tomo was saying. "B-but I didn't… did I?" she stammered as she looked around Tomo to see her friends and other classmates nodding in affirmation. "How disgusting!" Kaorin shouted and wildly tried to wipe off her tongue as she realized she had kissed Tomo.

"Then why the hell did you do it?" Tomo demanded, even angrier that Kaorin didn't even enjoy it. After all, in Tomo's mind, her kiss would surely be the greatest in the world.

"How am I supposed to know?" Kaorin countered. "This is all your own damn fault for throwing that catnip at me! It made me go nuts!"

"You were supposed to go nuts! That was the whole point!" Tomo argued, "But you weren't supposed to steal my first kiss!"

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't given me the catnip! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself!"

Tomo growled, more than a little unhappy that the cat-girl wasn't apologetic at all. "It's your fault!" she claimed, unwilling to admit defeat. "It's because you were affected by the catnip. If you weren't then you wouldn't have gone berserk and stolen my first kiss!"

"It's not like I can help it!" Kaorin pointed out. "I wish I wasn't affected!"

"I wish you weren't either!" Tomo retorted, "But you are, and so it's still your fault!"

As the two girls argued, they garnered the attention of almost everyone in the class, distracting nearly everyone from the pink glow that shone through all of openings in Kaorin's bags. One person, however, couldn't be so easily distracted by a potential cat fight. Osaka rubbed her eyes as the glow from Kaorin's bag faded away. "Is it gonna blow up?" she stated in little more than a whisper. Osaka turned to Chiyo for input, but found the redheaded genius next to Yomi as she helplessly watched Kaorin and Tomo go at it. Osaka started to get up to go talk to the preteen, but as soon as she got to her feet the teacher entered the room and ordered everyone to their seats.

* * *

At the end of the day, Tomo, Kaorin, and Sakaki all reported to the principal's office as instructed, although Tomo tried her damnedest to just go home.

"I know that I called you three here to my office," the principal stated. "I have a question I need to ask you," he continued as he motioned to the side. "Why are these three here?"

"We came to testify that Kaorin couldn't help herself," Chiyo earnestly told the principal.

"It's all Tomo-chan's fault," Yomi asserted as she pointed to the wildcat.

"Do ya think we could give her some more catnip?" Osaka questioned, garnering a shocked expression from everyone except Kaorin, who was glaring at her instead. "I'm just sayin', if ya give her some catnip it'd prove how she goes bonkers."

"That's stupid and reckless!" Yomi scolded.

"Enough, enough, all of you," the principal asserted as he quickly nipped the situation in the bud. "While I appreciate that you all came here to defend your friends, you don't have any part in this. I'll ask you kindly to leave while I handle things." He then motioned towards the door to reaffirm that the three interlopers were not needed.

As soon as they left, Kaorin was the first to speak up. "They were telling the truth," she asserted as she pointed to Tomo. "It's her fault!"

"We already went over this!" Tomo countered as she pointed back. "It's your fault, and you need to find a way to repay me!"

"Wait," The principal interjected, "Repay you? Did she attack you as well?"

"Damn right!" Tomo affirmed. "She stole my first kiss!"

The principal gave her a strange look before glancing at Kaorin to see that she wasn't about to deny the accusation. "Perhaps I'm a little misinformed about this whole situation," the principal admitted as he walked behind his desk and sat down. "Aida-san, why don't you tell me everything that happened?"

"I can't," she bluntly claimed.

"Why not?" the principal demanded with a bit of ire in his voice.

"I don't know what happened either!" Kaorin reminded the principal. "I told you before that I can't remember anything after smelling the catnip!"

The principal sighed as he cradled his head in his hand. "That's right," he allowed. "Well, what led to… Takino-san, was it?" Receiving a nod from the wildcat, the principal continued, "What led Takino-san to give you this catnip?"

"She just wanted to watch me go nuts!" Kaorin claimed as she angrily motioned towards Tomo.

"It was supposed to be funny!" Tomo argued, forgetting for a moment that she was just as much on trial as Kaorin was.

"You did it intentionally, knowing what it could do to her?" The principal demanded as he started to lose his cool.

Tomo offered the principal a nervous smile. "It-it was just a joke," she sheepishly claimed.

"You're dismissed!" the principal ordered as he pointed to the door. "I'll speak with your teacher about your punishment later." Tomo pouted as she did her best to leave in a huff, slamming the door behind her. Sighing, the principal turned back to Kaorin. "I'll look into the matter to make sure that you really weren't in control of your actions after being exposed to catnip," he informed her. "But even with that, the school's rules still say that you should be punished for assaulting another student. I'll see if I can find a loophole, but unless I do I have no choice but to suspend you for your actions."

Although shocked at first, Kaorin's expression quickly turned to hopelessness as her gaze fell away from the principal. "I… understand," she squeaked out.

"I'll be sure to strike it from your record if I can find a loophole or get permission from the higher-ups," he assured the cat-girl. "You seem to genuinely be as much a victim as Sakaki-san or Kagura-san."

Sakaki rose her hand as she spoke. "Why… am I here?" she chimed in, having seemingly been ignored this whole time.

"Ah, I wanted your input on Takino's role in all of this," the principal explained. "But since she implicated herself… was there anything you wanted to add?"

"Kaorin… really wasn't herself during all that," she defended.

"Maybe you could tell me what happened after she got the catnip?" he prodded.

Sakaki shook her head. "I… missed most of it," she admitted.

The principal sighed again at the disheartening news. "I see," he replied. "In that case the two of you are dismissed as well." He then pointed to Kaorin before opening a drawer and pulling out a stack of forms. "Aida-san, until further notice you are on a 5-day suspension," he asserted as he filled out the form before handing it to Kaorin. "I'll give you a call if that changes."

"O-Okay," Kaorin replied as she accepted her suspension notice before trudging after Sakaki.

* * *

The end of the school day had come and gone, and yet Sakaki never did get a chance to talk to Kaorin about the situation with her mother. Worse still, odds are her mother was going to hear about this incident, and heaven help her and Kaorin both if Sakaki's mother were to find out about all this. Sakaki sighed as she approached the awaiting Naomi.

"You're more than a little late," Naomi observed as she leaned against her own car. "Busy having a long talk with a little kitten?"

"Not… really," Sakaki lamely dodged as she shied away from Naomi's discerning eye.

"It's my day off, so your mother shouldn't be asking me any uncomfortable questions," Naomi pointed out. "So my lips are sealed."

"T-thanks," Sakaki appreciated as she climbed into the backseat.

Naomi pushed herself off of her car as she spoke out loud and clear, "Why don't you come along, too, eavesdropper? I'll give you a ride home as well." Hesitantly, Kaorin poked her head out from her hiding place. "Like I said before, my lips are sealed," Naomi offered as she opened the backseat door for the cat-girl.

Kaorin quickly closed the distance. "It's… really all right?" the cat-girl hesitated as she looked to see Sakaki sitting in the car.

"Go on," Naomi insisted as she practically shoved Kaorin into the car. After shutting the door behind Kaorin, the tall woman quickly entered the driver's seat and attached her seatbelt. "I'm glad my hunch was right," she admitted just after starting the car. "I wasn't entirely sure if you were going to be listening in or not."

"You… were bluffing?" Kaorin asked, feeling rather stupid for revealing herself so easily.

Naomi let Kaorin's question go completely as she pulled out into the road. "I really wanted to speak with the two of you." She spoke with an air of seriousness. "The two of you are well aware of Sakaki's mother's feelings, but I thought I should let you know mine as well, especially after you came by the house with that Kagura girl." Adjusting her rear-view mirror to see Sakaki and Kaorin in the backseat, she continued. "Sakaki, this girl here clearly cares for you, as well as Kagura. While I can't ask you to deliberately disobey your mother, I want you to know that you don't come across friends like these every day. Friends like that are precious, and are more than worth fighting for."

While Kaorin didn't seem to notice anything as Sakaki looked to her, to Naomi, and back, Naomi could tell that the tall girl was fighting hard not to break down and cry.

"Sa-Sakaki-san… you really don't have to risk anything for me," Kaorin nervously claimed. "B-but I… I would fight anyone or anything for you!" she managed to blurt out before sheepishly withdrawing into her corner of the car.

This time, even Kaorin noticed Sakaki's demeanor as she clenched her fists in her lap. "B-but… Okaa-san…" Sakaki choked out, managing to keep her voice steady.

"Your mother is being an idiot," Naomi freely spoke her mind. "Personally, I think what she's trying to force on you in downright cruel."

"Could you talk to her and-" Sakaki started, only to be cut off by Naomi.

"No," she interjected. "It would be as useless as trying to talk to a brick wall. All I can do is look the other way and say that I didn't see anything even though your mother would surely be able to see through the lie."

"Th-then?" Sakaki hopefully prodded.

"Because I don't condone what your mother is demanding, I will give you whatever support I can," Naomi assured, "even if it isn't all that much."

"S-so Sakaki-san and I can still be friends?" Kaorin tentatively asked.

"That's for you two to decide," Naomi dismissed as she pulled the car to the side of the road. "You two should think it over."

Curious as to why they stopped, Kaorin looked up and around to find herself outside of her own home. "I… never told you where I live," Kaorin nervously noted as she hesitantly opened the car door.

"Fancy that," Naomi deftly dodged as she offered Kaorin a wave.

Kaorin reluctantly left the vehicle as she said her goodbyes to Sakaki and Naomi. As the vehicle pulled away she hung her head as she withdrew her suspension notice from her pocket. On the bright side, she didn't have bear the humiliation of going to school after her wild run until it all blew over. On the down side, she might never have to go back if her parents killed her. "I want off this rollercoaster!" Kaorin bemoaned as she dragged herself to her own front door.

* * *

"First she steals my first kiss, then she gets me into trouble…" Tomo grumbled aloud as she approached her own home. "I won't forgive that cat-ears!" "I'm home!" she called out as she entered her house and took off her shoes. Quite predictably, her voice summoned a rapid click-clacking as her dog ran to greet her. The mongrel approached, and, thanks to paw-on-wood physics, slid right past Tomo and slammed into a wall, eliciting the wildcat to point and laugh at her. "You can always cheer me up, Kuro," Tomo praised as the dog finally got to her side and was rewarded with a few pats on the head.

"Oi! Tomo!" A gruff voice summoned from an adjacent room. "You've got a guest!"

"A guest?" Tomo repeated as she entered the living room to find her father sitting on the couch, playing video games with… "Ah! It's Osaka's boyfriend!" Tomo shouted as she pointed at Kei, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You've forgotten our deal already?" Kei claimed with mock disappointment as he kept his eyes locked ahead at the television. "You're supposed to tell me how Kaori-chan reacted to it."

Tomo's anger only grew as she remembered that Kei gave her back her bag and the catnip. "This is just as much your fault!" she irately claimed. "You have to repay me, too!"

"I haven't done anything," Kei asserted just before jumping to his feet in victory. "I win again!" he exclaimed.

"Cheater!" Tomo's father claimed as he threw his controller and stormed out of the room.

"Want to play?" Kei genuinely offered as he picked up the discarded controller and held it towards Tomo.

Tomo responded by slapping the controller out of Kei's hand. "Didn't you hear anything I just said?" she angrily demanded.

"I could say the same to you," Kei countered with a smile as he set down his own controller and produced a small notebook from his pocket. "You have yet to tell me what happened, and I want to know everything."

The wildcat became even more enraged that nothing she did seemed to get a rise out of this guy. She could usually get on anyone's nerves. What was wrong with this guy? "Get out!" Tomo ordered as she realized that she was fighting a losing battle.

"There's no need to be so hostile," Kei calmly replied. "I just want to know what happened with Kaori-chan after you gave her the catnip."

"How did you even figure out where I live?" Tomo suddenly realized that she had never given this guy her address, or even mentioned her home at all.

"Oh yeah," Kei mumbled as he held out an empty hand. He then quickly turned his hand over and with a flick of the wrist, produced a card as if by magic. "I believe this is yours."

Tomo angrily snatched the card away and held it up to her face to find that it was her student I.D. card. "Wha… How did you get this?" she demanded as she glared at the still smiling Kei.

"It was in your bag," Kei informed her, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You stole it!" Tomo accused.

"More like… borrowed it," Kei corrected. "And it doesn't really matter. All I want to know is what happened to Kaori-chan."

"It's none of your business," Tomo hissed. "Now leave!"

Kei sighed as he realized that fighting this uphill battle wasn't going to get him very far. "I guess I'll just talk to Kaori-chan about it," he relented as he stepped around Tomo and obediently headed for the door. "I bet she'll be angry," he mumbled to himself with a sinister grin. "I should've just gone to her first. This'll be great." As he stopped to put his shoes back on, his cell phone started to ring. Pulling it out, he found a phone number that he recognized and it only made his grin grow wider. "Hey there, Koneko-chan," he greeted as he answered the phone before turning his attention back to his shoes. "I wonder, how did the clever kitty get this number?"

"Saeki-san gave it to me," Kaorin claimed.

Kei chuckled as he climbed to his feet and opened the door. "You don't say," he replied as he left the Takino residence. "Let me guess, you called to talk to me about catnip, right?"

Kaorin stammered incoherently a few moments before her mind caught up after being taken so off guard. "Wh-what are you psychic too now?" she asked only half-rhetorically.

Kei laughed again as he enjoyed toying with the cat-girl. "That Tomo girl is a real firecracker, huh?"

"I-wha… Were you spying on me?" Kaorin demanded.

"If only!" Kei honestly admitted. "I bet it would have been a wonderful show," he prodded as he recalled Tomo's reactions.

"You-you were there!" Kaorin accused.

"I wasn't," Kei claimed. "Honestly, I only know the basic details, and I'm just dying to know all the intimate ones. Why don't I stop by your house so we can talk about it?"

"No, thanks," Kaorin quickly refused. "All I want to know is if you can make me immune to catnip!" she asserted.

Kei paused as he pondered it for a bit. "That's probably impossible... for now at least," he admitted.

"Can you at least write me a note or something?" Kaorin asked, her voice clearly laced with disappointment. "I got into a lot of trouble because of the catnip. Maybe if you say that I couldn't help myself…"

"Of course, Kaori-chan," Kei easily allowed. "But I'll need to… observe your reaction to catnip first. Maybe you can come by the hospital some time?"

"I got suspended, so is tomorrow okay for you?" Kaorin meekly asked.

"For my precious kitten, I always have time," Kei cooed, only to hear Kaorin hang up on him. "I can't wait," he spoke with a smile as he put the cell phone away.

* * *

That evening Sakaki turned out her light and flopped down onto her bed as her mind swam with confusion and apprehension. Although Naomi being on her side was a godsend, an uphill battle was still ahead. As Naomi explained earlier, she and Kaorin still had to have a heart to heart about the whole situation, which was easier said than done. Since Sakaki was still grounded, the only time she had to see Kaorin was in school. But with Kaorin on suspension, it would be a whole week before she would even see the cat-eared girl again, and for some reason that really bothered the tall girl.

Further agitating Sakaki, there was one incident that she just couldn't seem to push out of her mind. She brought her fingers up and lightly touched them to her lips. No matter how much she tried, Sakaki just couldn't forget the warm, tranquil feeling that encompassed her when Kaorin kissed her. She was actually starting to kick herself for shoving the cat-girl away, even though the situation of being watched by everyone in the class was more embarrassing than she could bear. The worst part was that Kaorin didn't remember any of it, and didn't really do it willingly. Sighing, Sakaki rolled over as she tried in vain to push the fuzzy-eared girl out of her head. "What's wrong with me?" she mumbled aloud.

* * *

A/N: They finally kissed, although it was so weird that it didn't increase the intimacy between them at all! Osaka has also discovered a clue to the cause of the strange phenomenon, even though she's about as a bad an eyewitness as one can find. I promised that the doom and gloom would be more or less over, and it kind of is... but kind of isn't. Oh well. At least Naomi has switched sides, and will be playing interference for the duo.

I can remember that Tomo had a dog named Kuro, but I don't remember if it was a male or female. I went with female because it seems like a feminine sort of name. Tomo's father is also reputed by Yomi to be just like Tomo, so I tried to do that much, too.


	20. Escalation

A/N: It's another really long chapter! Actually, it's practically two chapters, but I wasn't happy with Kei stealing the show with the first one. To balance it out I put the next chapter together with it.

* * *

As Sakaki sluggishly drudged through her morning routine with her mind constantly wandering towards Kaorin and the crazy events that occurred yesterday, Naomi's voice called out to her to break the stale fog that had spellbound her thoughts. "Sakaki! Mihama-san is on the phone asking for you!" the outrageously tall woman yelled to Sakaki. Heading to where she knew the telephone was, Sakaki was mildly surprised to find that Naomi was nowhere to be found although the phone's receiver was sitting next to its base. Picking it up and placing it against her ear, Sakaki tentatively greeted with a simple hello, unsure if there was anyone on the other line or not.

"Ah, Sakaki-san," an unfamiliar voice greeted back.

"…Chiyo-chan?" Sakaki asked, unsure if the person on the other end of the line was really her friend or not. "You sound strange."

"Do I? I didn't notice," Chiyo honestly responded. "Anyway, I have a favor to ask you."

"Yes?"

"This may sound a bit strange, but I think I need to borrow a school uniform from you… and a pair of shoes, too," Chiyo sheepishly requested. "Can you please bring them to my house on your way to school?"

Sakaki gave pause at the bizarre request. "I… would have to ask first," she allowed after giving up on contemplating why Chiyo would ask for such a thing. "Please wait." Setting the receiver aside, Sakaki headed off to figure out where Naomi disappeared to. It didn't take her long to find the tall woman setting the table in the dining room. To Sakaki's delight, Naomi had set three places. "Naomi-san, where is Okaa-san?" she requested.

"In the office," Naomi replied, never taking her eyes off of her task. "She's in a video conference right now, so you shouldn't disturb her."

Sakaki let out a dejected sigh. Even this early in the morning, her mother was already right to business. "You are taking me to school, then?" Sakaki inquired with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

Naomi nodded. "If she doesn't finish up that conference call soon," she elaborated.

"I-would it be all right to stop by Chiyo-chan's house on the way?" Sakaki requested. "She needs a favor from me."

Naomi contemplated the request for a moment before responding. "If it's a favor for Mihama-san, I'm sure your mother wouldn't disapprove."

"Thanks," Sakaki appreciated with a small bow as she quickly retreated back to the phone. "Are you still there?" she tentatively asked.

"Yes," Chiyo responded. "Can you bring them to my house?"

"I can," Sakaki responded with a nod despite Chiyo being unable to see her.

"Um… there's one other thing I think I need to borrow," Chiyo hesitantly requested. "I… ah… can you bring me a… a… uh… pair of… your panties, too?"

Sakaki blushed as she only then stopped to ask herself why Chiyo would have such bizarre requests. "A-all right," the tall girl agreed not really having the courage to decline the favor.

"Really? Thank you!" Chiyo happily appreciated. "Please bring them by as soon as you get a chance."

"All right," Sakaki repeated as she reluctantly replaced the receiver onto its stand. She started to wonder what Chiyo could need those things for as she headed towards her room to gather them up.

* * *

In the end, Sakaki never even got to see her mother that morning, which only served to sadden the tall girl even further. So Sakaki was somewhat grateful to have a task to take her mind off of things even if it was quite a peculiar request. The tall girl still couldn't figure out what Chiyo had in mind for her clothes. At first Sakaki had come to the conclusion that maybe she had a very tall guest that needed a change of clothes, but it quickly occurred to Sakaki that Chiyo didn't ask for a change of clothes, she asked specifically for her school uniform. The only other possibility was that Chiyo's guest liked to cosplay, and that didn't settle well with Sakaki, either. It just didn't seem like something Chiyo would ask of her if a guest wanting to cosplay was the only reason.

"We're here," Naomi announced from the driver's seat as she pulled in front of the Mihama's main gate and sounded the horn to mark their presence. Responding to the sound, the gates opened up and Naomi drove the car to the front of the mansion. "Don't dawdle," she advised Sakaki as the tall girl let herself out of the back seat. "Your mother will wring both our necks if you're late to class."

"Right," Sakaki assured as she grabbed the bag of clothes before closing the car door and heading towards the mansion's imposing front doors.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you," Chiyo greeted Sakaki with a smile as the tall girl let herself in.

Nothing could have prepared Sakaki for the sight in front of her. She stared slack-jawed as Chiyo approached her wearing nothing more than a bath robe that barely covered what needed to be covered. Although the attire was more than a little alarming, that wasn't what surprised Sakaki the most. Chiyo couldn't have been more than three or four centimeters shorter than Sakaki herself! She was even taller than Yomi! Worse still, the once super cute little girl definitely had curves now, even if they did pale in comparison to Sakaki's. Chiyo wasn't cute at all anymore! To Sakaki, it was a disaster of epic proportions. Not wanting to believe it, Sakaki tightly closed her eyes for a moment as she prayed that she was just seeing things. As she cracked an eye open, Sakaki was devastated to see that Chiyo was still gigantic. "I… Ch-Chiyo… chan…" she finally stammered out.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Chiyo said with a smile as she spun 180° and back to show off her new figure. "I was like this when I woke up, but now I can't wear any of my clothes, and even Okaa-san's won't fit me," she explained. "I thought maybe I would be your size, but it looks like I'm just a little short," the redhead observed as she tried to stand tall and still failed to measure up to Sakaki.

"Um… here," Sakaki offered as she handed the bag with the spare clothes in it to Chiyo in a stupor. While it explained what Chiyo would want with her clothes, it only brought up a thousand more questions that Sakaki's mind couldn't even process at the moment thanks to the crushing devastation of seeing the once cute little girl turn into an awkward teen overnight.

"Thanks!" Chiyo appreciated as she glanced into the bag to find the school uniform. "I'll go change now," she announced as she started towards her room. "Ah, do you mind waiting for me?" she requested as she turned back to Sakaki. "Without a ride I don't think I will be able to make it in time."

It took Sakaki a few seconds to even register that Chiyo had spoken at all. "Sure," she replied as she continued to stare at the young woman who used to be "Chiyo-chan". No longer having a reason to stay, Sakaki stumbled towards the door in a daze.

Spotting Sakaki exit the house, Naomi became uneasy. It didn't take an expert to see that Sakaki wasn't at all herself. Rolling down the window, Naomi leaned out as Sakaki approached. "Is everything all right?"

Sakaki slowly looked up at the familiar voice. "Chiyo… san wanted us to wait for her," she announced as she made it to the back seat and let herself in.

Naomi wasn't about to be brushed off so easily. "Talk to me," she lamely coaxed as she pointed out the obvious. "You're obviously upset about something."

"It's nothing," Sakaki asserted as she stared down at her lap.

Gritting her teeth, Naomi tried to let her frustrations at Sakaki's feeble lie pass. "If something is upsetting you, you should really talk about it," Naomi offered as she tried her best to get Sakaki to open up.

Sakaki just shook her head, indicating that she had nothing to talk about.

Naomi just let out a frustrated sigh as she checked her watch. "How long is Mihama-san going to be?" she asked, changing the subject. "We really need to be going soon."

"I wonder…" Sakaki replied in a barely audible tone.

At her wits end, Naomi groaned as she rested her head on the steering wheel. "Maybe I should take another day off," she grumbled to herself as she tried not to think about the consequences that would ensue if she didn't get Sakaki to school in time, or if she didn't get to work on time. Deciding that waiting for Chiyo wasn't going to be worth the risks, she sat up and prepared to take off. Just as she put a hand on the gearshift, the door to the mansion opened to reveal a redheaded girl in a school uniform. "Let's go," Naomi ordered as she leaned out the window.

"Right," Chiyo responded as she picked up her pace and made her way to the car. "Thanks for waiting on me," she appreciated with a bow as she got the window.

Not in the mood for decorums, Naomi thrust a thumb towards the backseat. "Get in."

Obeying Naomi's instruction, Chiyo quickly tried to make her way to the back seat, but didn't even make it a single step before falling on her face. Sakaki managed to watch the scene unfold and quickly tried to get out of the car to help Chiyo up. Chiyo, however, was getting up on her own as the car door swung open and smacked her right in the face. "Sorry!" Sakaki quickly apologized as she rushed to Chiyo's side.

"Oww," Chiyo whined as she held her aching face.

Sakaki couldn't help but to feel a bit happy as she saw Chiyo on the brink of tears. At least Chiyo could still be somewhat cute. "Ah, here," she offered as she pulled Chiyo up and helped her into the car.

"Buckle up," Naomi ordered as soon as the two girls were inside.

Chiyo frantically worked the belt into position as Sakaki mechanically put hers on. "U-um, you're a safe driver, right?" the redhead asked as the car jolted to life.

"Of course," Naomi assured as she backed the car up before putting it into gear and heading out of Chiyo's extravagant driveway.

Out of Naomi's sight, Chiyo flinched at each jerk and jolt the car made, still traumatized from her car ride with Yukari over a year ago. "I'm just a little nervous… in cars," she admitted as she anxiously gripped the strap on her seatbelt.

"Naomi-san doesn't drive like Yukari-sensei," Sakaki assured.

"Th-that's a relief," Chiyo claimed, although her body language said differently as she continued to hold the strap on the seatbelt as she started to shake.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Aida household, Kaorin had a rude awakening thanks to an unwelcome guest. "Wha- Who let you in?" Kaorin demanded as she tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"Hmmm?" Kei innocently responded as he trounced his way into Kaorin's room. "You're the one who said you needed my expertise. You wanted me to see how you react to catnip, right?" Before waiting for a response, Kei launched an item in Kaorin's direction.

Suddenly fully awake, Kaorin avoided the object as if it were a live grenade. "What the hell?" she demanded as she clasped both hands over her nose, knowing full well that it was certainly catnip that Kei threw.

"Come on now," Kei chided as he produced an identical object to the one he threw: a small linen pouch filled with freshly cut catnip, "If you don't smell it, how am I supposed to monitor your response?"

"We were supposed to do that at a hospital!" Kaorin claimed as she kept her hands clamped on her nose. "No way in hell do I trust you to give me that stuff here!"

"You don't trust me?" Kei said with a melodramatically hurt tone and an expression to go along with it. "You wound me, Kaori-chan."

"It's not like I can trust myself, either," Kaorin muttered. "L-let's just go to the hospital later.

Kei dropped his act in an instant. "You seemed so eager to let me observe this reaction, and now you're trying so hard to dodge it," he observed as he palmed the pouch, making it vanish in the blink of an eye. "Women can be so impossible."

Kaorin audibly growled at the sexist comment. "It's complicated," she dismissed.

"I like complicated," Kei contended. "Complicated is far more interesting than simple things."

"Arguing with you is useless," Kaorin conceded as she pushed her way past the annoying genius.

"Where are you going?" Kei inquired as he watched Kaorin's swishing tail as she retreated.

Kaorin opened a seemingly random door before turning to Kei. "Feel free to let yourself out," she maliciously spat before passing through the doorway and slamming the door behind her.

Unwilling to call it quits, Kei ignored the order and casually glanced around Kaorin's room. Although he had gotten an intimate look before while searching for clues, he still couldn't help but think that maybe there was something he missed. As he retrieved the thrown pouch, he tried to remember anything at all about the house that had stuck out the last time he visited. Once again, the only thing that separated Kaorin's room-her house from a normal teenager's, was the meteorite sitting on Kaorin's dresser. Desiring another look at the benign object, Kei walked over and picked it up before turning it over a few times, but no matter how he looked at it the rock was just a chunk of iron. If it didn't have sentimental value to the cat-girl, Kei would destroy the rock to figure out exactly what it was made of and to see if it contained any secrets within.

"I thought I told you to leave?" Kaorin admonished as she reappeared with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.

"You know, I meant to ask you last time, but I got a little distracted," Kei started, seemingly ignoring Kaorin's request altogether, "but would you mind if I destroyed this thing?" He then tossed the meteorite in the air to emphasize what he was talking about.

"Don't you dare," Kaorin warned with malice in her voice.

Kei sighed as he set the rock back down on the dresser. "It's probably nothing, anyway," he dismissed as he turned his full attention back to the pajama-clad cat-girl.

"Don't touch my stuff," Kaorin ordered as she turned on her heel and disappeared again into the bathroom. "Actually, just leave!" her voice echoed from far away.

"She's in a pretty bad mood," Kei observed as he pulled out one of the pouches of catnip. "I bet I can fix that," he thought with a sinister grin.

* * *

"T-thank you for the ride," Chiyo appreciated as she exited Naomi's car. Despite Naomi's superlative driving, the redheaded genius was still happy to be on her own two feet again.

"You don't much like cars, do you?" Naomi observed.

Chiyo shook her head. "Not really," she sheepishly admitted.

"Well, you two need to hurry up and get to class," the absurdly tall woman advised as she caught sight of the time. She then put the car in gear before driving away, leaving Sakaki and Chiyo alone.

"Let's go," Sakaki suggested as she started off.

"Ah, I need to go to the teacher's lounge to see about getting new uniforms and shoes," the now tall Chiyo explained as she pointed in the general direction of the teacher's lounge.

Sakaki nodded in understanding. "All right," the tall girl allowed as she waved to her friend and parted ways with her.

* * *

Still not accustomed to her newfound height, Chiyo managed to fall flat on her face not once, but twice on her way to the teacher's lounge. "I didn't used to be this clumsy," she lamented as she opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, the principal emerged from the room, pushing his way past Chiyo. "Excuse me, young lady," he mumbled as he made his way into the hallway.

Despite the rudeness of the principal, Chiyo couldn't help but to smile from ear to ear. For once it wasn't "little girl"; he actually referred to her as "young lady"! Chiyo strolled into the teacher's lounge wearing an unshakable smile. "Ah! Yukari-sensei!" the tall redhead greeted as she approached the brunette who was trying her damnedest to sleep on her desk. "I needed to speak with you."

Reluctantly raising her head from her desk, she peeked an eye open at the bothersome intruder. "Go bother your homeroom teacher," she dismissed, not recognizing the girl.

"But that's-"

"Chiyo-chan, is that you?" Nyamo interrupted as she caught sight of the dramatically changed girl.

"Ah, yes!" Chiyo happily announced.

This time Yukari actually sat up as she rubbed her eyes. "Where's Chiyo-suke?" Yukari sincerely asked the mysterious, tall redhead.

"I'm Mihama Chiyo," she proudly asserted.

"As if!" Yukari denounced as she held out her hand at what Chiyo's height was just yesterday. "Chiyo-chan is only this tall," she spat.

"I think this really is Chiyo-chan," Nyamo defended as she looked the tall girl over.

"Hmph!" Yukari grunted as she pointed at the redhead, "If you're Chiyo-chan, then prove it."

Chiyo was taken aback at the challenge. Of course she was herself, but how could she prove it? "I-I…" she stammered as her mind raced to think of a way to prove her identity. "You… You and Kurosawa-sensei go with us to my beach house every summer," she stated.

"Everyone knows we go to Chiyo-chan's summer home," Yukari challenged, "You'll have to do better than that."

As Chiyo struggled to come up with another way to prove herself, Nyamo quickly thought up a good trick question to prove that it was really Chiyo. "Ah, but only Chiyo-chan and her friends know how to get there," she pointed out, "Why don't you go with Yukari-chan and show her the way?" She then pulled out her keys. "You can take my car."

"Seriously?" Yukari perked up at the opportunity.

"You wouldn't!" Chiyo practically screamed as all the color drained from her face and she started to shake. "I-I don't want to die!"

Nyamo quickly withdrew her hand, snatching her keys away from Yukari. "Without a doubt, that's definitely Chiyo-chan," she observed.

Yukari no longer really cared about Chiyo at all as she got out of her chair and tried to wrestle Nyamo's keys away from her. "You offered!" she challenged. "You gotta let me drive it!"

"It was a trick question!" Nyamo asserted. "After all, Chiyo-chan would never get in a car with you again!"

"Why not?" Yukari argued back as she managed to get a hand on Nyamo's keys and started a violent tug-of-war for them.

"How… oblivious… can you… be?" Nyamo choked out between grunts as she managed to finally snatch her keys back and put them in her pocket.

Before any attention could get back to Chiyo, the warning bell sounded, eliciting all the teachers to mechanically gather their things and head for the door. That included Yukari and Nyamo, forcing Chiyo to go along and miss her chance to talk to Yukari about new uniforms.

* * *

While Chiyo headed to the teacher's lounge, Sakaki dragged herself to the classroom. The day had just barely begun, and already Sakaki felt as if it were the end of the world. Sakaki waded through the droves of Kagura fans that flocked towards the classroom without giving any of the commotion any thought. Surprisingly, as she sat down, Kagura wasn't there in a flash. "She must not have seen me," Sakaki thought as she flopped down into her seat. Usually, she'd stare out the window until it was time for class to start, but this time she just wasn't feeling up to it. Instead she just slumped over her desk, for once not caring how she looked to those around her.

"Not feeling well?" a familiar voice sounded.

Sakaki looked up to see a friendly face. "Yomi… chan," she observed as she forced herself to sit up.

"You haven't been yourself since yesterday," the brunette observed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Instead of putting on a brave face, Sakaki shook her head. "I've been feeling kind of… bad," she admitted.

"Is it because of what happened with Kaorin?" Yomi presumed. "It might be easy to blame her for what happened, but you really shouldn't begrudge her. It seems like she really couldn't control herself."

Sakaki was taken aback at how easily her emotions were being read. Although she certainly didn't blame Kaorin for what happened, it was definitely something she just couldn't clear from her head. And that was just at the top of the laundry list of things plaguing her. The thing that was bothering her at the present moment, though, was a certain redhead whose impeccable cuteness factor had plummeted overnight. "Chiyo… chan," Sakaki finally spoke out with after giving her head a little shake.

Doing her best to figure out what the tall girl was talking about, Yomi looked to Chiyo's seat only to find it empty. "It's almost time for class to start," the bespectacled girl noted as she looked back to Sakaki, "She's usually here by now. Did something happen with her?"

Sakaki gave a firm nod before standing up. "Like this," she vaguely described as she held a hand out at the level of her own temple.

Yomi cocked an eyebrow as she tried to determine what Sakaki was saying. "I don't follow," she admitted with a shake of her head.

"Chiyo-chan is… big," Sakaki explained as she continued to hold her hand up.

"Is that… a joke?" Yomi asked with uncertainty as the warning bell sounded in the background.

Sakaki shook her head as she finally put her hand down. "I'm serious."

Her mind refusing to accept the fact that Chiyo was nearly as tall as Sakaki, Yomi held her hand out a few centimeters higher than she recalled the genius to be. "Like this?" she asked.

Sakaki shook her head as she help up her hand again. "This tall," she asserted.

Completely thrown by the absurdity of Sakaki's claim, Yomi's mind went full circle as it refused to accept Sakaki's words. "It's a joke after all, right?" she asked with a bit of uncertainty.

Before Sakaki could continue to explain things to Yomi, the door to the classroom burst open to reveal an irate Yukari. "That damned Kurosawa better let me drive her car," she grumbled as she approached the podium.

"Sensei, who's this?" a male student asked as he pointed to the girl that entered the room just after Yukari.

As Chiyo was about to eagerly announce herself, Yukari spoke up as she motioned to the redhead. "She says she's Chiyo-chan," the irritable teacher informed the class. "I don't really believe her, though."

"Yu-Yukari-sensei, I'm really myself," Chiyo meekly asserted.

"If you say so," the teacher replied in a tone that said she still wasn't convinced. "Just go sit in Chiyo-chan's seat. You'll have to leave when she gets here."

Giving up on convincing Yukari, the tall redhead dragged herself to her seat. Chiyo flopped down into her seat with a sigh as she lamented how unreasonable Yukari could be. After just a few seconds, she felt something jabbing her in the back. Turning around, she found Osaka glaring at her.

"Where'd Chiyo-chan go?" Osaka grilled the tall stranger.

"It's me," Chiyo asserted. "I just grew taller."

"Didja'll kill her?" Osaka accused, completely ignoring Chiyo's comment.

"O-Osaka-san, it's really me," the genius girl tried to defend herself. "I'm just taller now."

Osaka shook her head. "Chiyo-chan ain't big!" she hissed.

"I-I am now," she continued to protest.

"Where'd ya hide tha body?" Osaka suddenly shouted as she thrust an accusatory finger in Chiyo's direction.

"Shut up!" Yukari barked, suddenly aware of the disturbance.

Although Osaka didn't have the courage to keep interrogating the suspicious stranger, she pantomimed by pointing to her own eyes then to Chiyo's and back to get the message across that Osaka wasn't about to let this tall girl get away with anything.

The whole time Yomi just stared slack-jawed at the suddenly tall Chiyo. _She really is that big!_ her mind exclaimed as she still found it hard to believe what her eyes were seeing.

Most of the class was in agreement with Yomi. Pretty much no one was paying any attention to anything other the tall redhead ever since her introduction.

* * *

Back at the Aida household, Kaorin was happy to find Kei gone when she reentered her room. "Good riddance," she grumbled as she made her way to her dresser only to find that her meteorite was gone. "Damn it, Kei!" she howled as she rushed to try and cut off the doctor's escape. Just as she exited her room, an arm wrapped around her shoulders as another hand covered her nose and mouth. The next thing that registered in her mind was the strong scent of catnip as she was suddenly released. As Kaorin spun around, she found a smug Kei with a pouch of catnip in his palm. "What the hell?" she shouted as she vigorously tried to exhale through her nose as she rubbed it.

"Call me impatient," Kei shrugged off Kaorin's anger.

"I-I told you not to do it here!" she scolded as she continued to try to cleanse her nose and lungs of the aromatic herb.

"How long does it usually take for symptoms to appear?" he seriously asked the cat-girl.

Kaorin suddenly stopped freaking out as she realized that nothing was happening. "I… thought it was really fast," she recalled. As far as she knew, she went nuts pretty much as soon as she smelled it last time, but she didn't know that for sure thanks to her lack of memory of event. "Maybe I didn't smell enough?" she wondered as she consciously kept track of her thoughts and feeling to make sure she wasn't about to lose control. "Is that really catnip?"

"Freshly cut and ground nepeta cataria," Kei assured as he opened the sack and dumped the minced herb into his hand. He then drew a deep breath and blew the dust right into Kaorin's face.

"Augh! Damn it!" Kaorin cursed as she got another lungful of catnip and once more proceeded to try to quickly expel the catnip.

"That should solve the 'not enough' conundrum," Kei boasted.

After a few snorts and coughs, Kaorin struggled to reclaim her composure again, although this time she had the presence of mind to keep a hand over her nose and mouth. "I keep telling you, I don't want to do this here!" she harshly scolded.

"Is everything all right?" Aida asked as she finally came onto the scene. "I keep hearing you yelling."

"Why did you let him in?" Kaorin quickly accused as she pointed to Kei with the hand that wasn't covering half of her face.

"He's your doctor," Aida replied in a deadpan tone. "He said you wanted to meet with him today."

Kei nodded. "That's right," he asserted, "You can't deny it."

"I wanted to meet with you in the hospital!" Kaorin continued to argue. "I never asked you to come to my house!"

"What's all this noise about?" a fourth voice sounded as Saeki came in on the scene with a folder tucked under her arm.

"Wha-why are you here, too?" Kaorin demanded as she still kept a hand clamped over her face.

"Kei needed a ride, and I wanted to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't miss his court date today," the bespectacled woman assured.

"Court date?" Aida and Kaorin simultaneously shouted.

Saeki nodded. "He's supposed to do a favor for one of the doctors at our hospital by providing an expert testimony," she elaborated as she motioned to Kei, "but knowing this reprobate, he'd find something more… entertaining to do and miss the appointment."

"More importantly," Kei interjected, "Shouldn't the catnip have kicked in by now?"

While Saeki and Aida were in the dark with that comment, Kaorin found herself to be quite surprised that she was still in full control of all of her faculties. "I-it should have," the cat-girl realized aloud.

Kei once more produced the second pouch of the minced herb with a flick of the wrist. "Here," he offered as he tossed it gingerly to Kaorin.

Reluctantly catching the object, Kaorin gave her mother and Saeki a glance. At least with those two around, Kei wouldn't get away with anything while she was intoxicated. "Fine," Kaorin spat before reluctantly bringing the pouch to her face and giving a tentative sniff.

"What's going on?" Aida obliviously asked as she turned to Saeki.

While Saeki shook her head, Kei happily enlightened Aida. "Kaorin wanted me to observe her reaction to catnip," he informed the concerned parent. "Even though she seems to have had an acute reaction before, it doesn't' seem to be doing anything for her now."

Aida quickly turned her gaze to her daughter. "I thought you said you got suspended because you had a bad reaction to catnip?" she accused as she glared at Kaorin.

"I did!" Kaorin protested as she gave up on sniffing the bag. "It really affected me before!"

"I believe you, Kaori-chan," Kei assured.

"You do?" Kaorin expectantly exclaimed, happy to have someone on her side, even if it was Kei.

"Of course," Kei replied. "After all, I'm the one that gave Tomo-chan's catnip back to her at your school."

All three women gave Kei a fierce glare at that comment. "So that's how you knew so much about it!" Kaorin angrily accused. "Do you even know how much trouble you got me into?"

"Tomo-chan was the one that gave it to you," Kei reminded the cat-girl. "All I did was provide her with the opportunity. If you want someone to blame, why don't you go yell at your friend?"

"I already did!" Kaorin attested.

"Kaori was suspended because of all of this!" Aida quickly jumped to her daughter's defense. "You need to go take responsibility!"

Kei just shrugged. "What do you want me to do about it?" he seriously asked as if there were nothing he could do.

"Go speak with the faculty and take responsibility!" Aida snapped.

Kei sweatdropped as he adopted a nervous smile and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I could send an E-mail or give them a call or something."

"I'll make sure he goes and sorts things out," Saeki quickly asserted.

"Anyway," Kei spoke up as he tried to steer things in his direction again. "Still no response on that catnip?"

"None," Kaorin admitted as she handed the pouch back to Kei. "I don't know why."

Kei seemed thoughtful as his mind ran through the possibilities. "Maybe you only react to dried catnip," he proposed, "or perhaps you are still in the latent period."

"Latent period?" Kaorin mimicked Kei's last words.

"I don't know a whole lot about catnip and cats, but I do know that after reacting to catnip cats will become immune to it for some time," Kei enlightened Kaorin. "I don't think it's supposed to last for days, but you're a special case now, aren't you?"

"M-maybe," Kaorin allowed, although she didn't entirely buy Kei's speculation.

"I noticed that you have a cat," Kei observed, "so do you have any dried catnip we can try?"

Kaorin shook her head. "She isn't affected by catnip, so we don't have any."

"A shame," Kei lamented as he started to consider everything a wash.

"My meteorite!" Kaorin shouted as she remembered why she ran into the hallway to begin with. "Give it back!"

Sighing, Kei reached into his pocket and showed off the metal rock. "I just wanted to break off a little piece to observe and maybe dissolve a little bit of it in acid," he claimed.

Kaorin quickly snatched her meteorite away from Kei. "I told you before you couldn't!" she scolded.

No longer having anything interesting to do with the cat-girl, Kei quickly switched gears to entertain himself. "So, have you had breakfast yet, Aida-san?" he asked as he flashed his sexiest smile for the woman.

"No," she honestly answered. "I was in the middle of preparing everything when I heard all the shouting."

"I'll help you cook, then," Kei volunteered as he stepped past Kaorin. "Believe it or not, I'm just as good a cook as I am a doctor," he boasted.

"I'd say he's a better cook," Saeki quipped, "even if his skills for both are equal, a chef doesn't require empathy."

Kaorin sighed as Kei disappeared with her mother. "I fear what the future has in store for me," she lamented as she turned to go back into her room.

"It sounds like Kei's really been giving you a hard time," Saeki observed. "I hope he hasn't been entirely intolerable."

"Just about," Kaorin admitted as she stopped and turned around. "And I don't have anything to show for it, either."

"I'm sure Kei will find something or die trying," she reassured the cat-girl.

"That's a really scary thought, you know," Kaorin claimed only half-jokingly.

Saeki sighed. "You have my sympathy," she consoled. "Having to constantly put up with him must be really hard. If there's anything I can do for you, you have but to ask."

"Is there any way to make him less obnoxious?" Kaorin seriously asked.

Saeki shook her head. "Seems like a flight of fancy from what I've seen. So long as he holds so many cards he can do just about whatever he wants… and so he does just that."

"Holds all the cards?" Kaorin repeated. "You mean because he's supposedly a genius?"

"Supposedly-nothing," Saeki countered. "That guy is as smart as he boasts. Having him on the payroll is like employing half a dozen different experts in different fields. Although no one wants to, he's the guy everyone turns to when they are stumped and have run out of options."

"Wow," Kaorin marveled, "he just never seems all that smart, just annoying. Is that why he hasn't been fired for being a pervert that can't do anything right?"

"Ah, you don't know the story, do you?" Saeki asked rhetorically. "The only reason he hasn't been fired, is because the hospital can't _afford_ to fire him."

Kaorin blinked as that information didn't seem to add up. "What do you mean the hospital can't afford it? I thought he was costing the hospital a fortune with all the lawsuits and tomfoolery."

"Yes, he costs us as much as an entire team of doctors, but a lot of those lawsuits don't have a leg to stand on," Saeki pointed out, "You should know as well as anyone that while Kei says whatever is on his mind and does whatever he knows he can get away with, he still has enough restraint not to actually _touch_ any of the women he harasses."

"I guess so," Kaorin admitted as she recalled that Kei had never, ever actually touched her in an inappropriate way.

"Believe it or not, he actually yelled at one of the nursing staff for grabbing another nurse's butt," Saeki informed Kaorin. "Although they turned out to be husband and wife, it was still kind of admirable." She then took a deep breath as she realized she might be getting off-topic. "Anyway, the reason we can't afford to fire him is that if we do, we'll lose a very large portion of our funding. As it turns out, Kei's father had a medical crisis and was treated at our hospital. He was so pleased with the dedication of our staff, that he has his corporations generously donate to our hospital each year. Even though it's just money they would have to pay in taxes anyway, it is a godsend for our hospital."

"So if you fire Kei, his daddy's money goes with him, huh?" Kaorin surmised.

Saeki nodded. "We're stuck with him unless he loses his license or moves on to harass someone else. Though I don't see how he'd lose his license, since he never does anything. He pawns everything from chest tubes and drawing blood to taking care of cardiac and pulmonary arrests off on the other doctors and nurses. I've never seen him really do anything at all."

Kaorin blinked a couple of times as she remembered her ordeal from the other day. "Kei took my blood," the cat-girl recalled. "He was terrible at it."

Saeki cocked an eyebrow at that tidbit of information. "Is that a joke?" she seriously asked.

Kaorin shook her head. "He did," she insisted, "and he was terrible at it. I never want to see another needle for as long as I live."

"You must really be something special to get him to actually do something like that," Saeki marveled.

"I'd rather he wasn't so obsessed with me," the cat-girl complained as she again turned to go into her room.

"Be strong," Saeki encouraged as she left in the opposite direction.

Kaorin sighed as she replaced her meteorite before digging in her drawers for something to wear. It was bad enough that Kei and Saeki had bothered her this early in the morning; it was downright degrading to have them see her in her pajamas. Worse still was the fact that they were apparently staying for breakfast even though Kei didn't have any reason to be around anymore, considering the catnip thing failed. Kaorin paused a moment at that thought. "What the hell was with that anyway?" she shouted, thanks to her mounting frustrations. "How can things get any more screwed up?" she mumbled in a much more demure tone.

* * *

As soon as the first class ended, Yomi couldn't help but to confront the now giant genius. "You're… big," she greeted as she approached Chiyo's desk.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Chiyo replied with a big smile.

"More than that," Yomi observed. "It's downright impossible."

"That's right!" Osaka jumped into the conversation. "There's no way y'all could possibly be Chiyo-chan!" she accused. "And we ain't gonna let ya get away with it, either!"

"O-Osaka-san, I keep telling you that I am really me," Chiyo asserted.

Osaka shook her head as she thrust an accusatory finger in Chiyo's direction. "Ya'll ain't gonna fool me!" she enthusiastically warned.

"Well, I'm convinced that this is the real Chiyo-chan," Yomi spoke up in the redhead's defense. "After all, Chiyo-chan is the only person in the whole world who calls you 'Osaka-san'," she elaborated as she motioned to Osaka.

"She'll come around," Yomi reassured Chiyo as she put a hand on her shoulder.

"Osaka-san seems really upset about this for some reason," Chiyo fretted.

"And you seem pretty calm about this," Yomi observed as she took a step back away from Chiyo's desk. "Stand up," she urged before Chiyo had a chance to respond. "I want to see how tall you really are."

Chiyo obediently stood up. "I'm actually really excited by this," she admitted. "I can't wait for gym class."

"You think your new stature will make you better at sports?" Yomi asked as she stood as tall as she could next to Chiyo. Holding a hand atop her head, she found that she was just a bit shorter than the redhead. "Taller than me," Yomi conceded in little more than a whisper.

"I really hope I can do better in gym now," Chiyo spoke her mind as her mood deflated a bit. "That way I won't drag everyone down."

"The sports festival, huh?" Yomi surmised as she took another step back to examine the suddenly-tall girl. "Even with you, Osaka, and Tomo-chan, we did well last year, though. We've even got Kagura this year, so I don't think that you really need to worry about that."

Chiyo nodded as she realized the truth in Yomi's words. "Still, it would be nice if I did well this year," she explained.

"I guess," Yomi half-heartedly replied as she continued to study the genius girl. "Where did you get that uniform?" she asked as she observed how loosely it fit on Chiyo.

"I borrowed it from Sakaki-san," Chiyo claimed as she pointed to the tall girl in question. "When I woke up like this, I thought I was as tall as Sakaki-san, but I guess I came up a little short," she elaborated.

Yomi chuckled at the joke Chiyo didn't intentionally make. "You might be close to her in height, but you're way too lanky to wear her clothes," Yomi advised. "I'm surprised none of it has fallen off of that tiny frame of yours."

Chiyo offered a nervous smile as she sheepishly lifted the blouse to show that the slack in the skirt was secured with a safety pin. "I still need to talk to Yukari-sensei about getting new uniforms," she informed Yomi as only now did she realize that she should be taking care of that at the present moment. A quick glance at the clock told the redhead that it was too late for her to do it at this break.

"You know, maybe you should consider changing your hair style to suit your new look," Yomi advised as she noticed how silly Chiyo's signature pigtails looked with her new body. "Try letting it down."

"Does it really look bad?" Chiyo worriedly asked as she reached for the bands tying her hair. After she took her bands out, Chiyo gave her head a good shake to coax her hair to fall flat. "Is it better now?" she asked as she pocketed the bands.

"Definitely an imposter," Osaka mumbled as she watched Chiyo's pigtails fall away.

Yomi nodded in approval. "You might want to try a few different hair styles when you get home. Maybe consider a haircut," she advised.

"Do think I should let it grow out like yours and Sakaki-san's?" Chiyo earnestly asked.

"It's a bit of a hassle to take care of, but if that's what you want to do, then go for it," Yomi offered her advice. "Just go with whatever you like."

"I'll think about it. Thanks," Chiyo appreciated.

As Yomi continued to study the oddity of Chiyo's sudden transformation, another significant thought hit her. "Say, what are you planning to wear for gym class?" she inquired.

Chiyo's mouth fell open as her expression showed shock and horror. "I-I didn't think about that!" she stated the obvious. "And I was really looking forward to P.E. class, too!"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Yomi consoled as she felt a bit bad about pointing it out. "All things considered, I doubt Kurosawa-sensei will hold it against you. She might let you participate in that," she reassured. "Just make sure that skirt stays up."

"Being grown up is a bit harder than I thought it would be," Chiyo lamented.

"Grown up?" Yomi questioned as the obvious things started floating about her consciousness. Curiosity getting the better of her, she reached behind Chiyo and pulled the loose-fitting shirt taut against her chest. "You've got boobs!" Yomi uncharacteristically blurted out in surprise, eliciting a blush from Chiyo. "You're a bit bigger than Tomo-chan, huh?" she observed in a much calmer tone as something else came to her mind as she checked out Chiyo's new body. "…And you aren't wearing a bra," she noted in a deadpan tone as she released the shirt to obscure Chiyo's otherwise unprotected chest.

"There isn't one that can fit me!" Chiyo hissed as the terribly embarrassed girl fought to make her blush fade.

Yomi nodded in understanding. "Why don't we go shopping today after school?" the brunette suggested. "It looks like you are going to need a whole new wardrobe."

"That's… thank you," Chiyo sincerely appreciated the thoughtfulness with a bow.

"I'll call Kaorin and Tomo-chan to see if they can come," Yomi suggested as she freed her cell phone from her pocket. One glance at the object and Yomi knew what she had to do. "Hey! Sakaki-chan, come here for a minute," she requested as she grabbed Chiyo by the wrist. When Sakaki got into position, Yomi placed Chiyo into position next to the tallest girl in school. "Cheese," Yomi announced as she held up her phone in order to take their picture. As Chiyo and Sakaki offered awkward smiles, Yomi snapped a photo. "I'm going to go shopping with Chiyo-chan after school. Would you want to come along, too?" she invited the tall girl as she kept her attention focused on her cell phone.

Sakaki sent a glance to the girl next to her. "All right," she reluctantly agreed.

"What about you, Osaka?" Yomi asked, knowing full well that the spacey girl was well within earshot the entire time.

Osaka turned around and, after a moment's thought, nodded. "Ah'll go ta make sure imposter-san don't try an' replace ya'll with more imposters," she assured.

While Yomi and Chiyo sweatdropped at the comment, Sakaki just looked puzzled. "That just leaves Kagura," Yomi asserted as she glanced to the tomboy, who was busy dealing with a small swarm of her fans.

"Where are Kaorin-san and Tomo-chan?" Chiyo asked as she only now realized that both of them were absent.

"I told you before that I was going to call them," Yomi reminded Chiyo as she decided that dealing with the fanatics around Kagura wouldn't be worth it. "I think I'll just message Kagura, too."

"But where are they?" Chiyo persisted with a bit of worry in her voice.

"They're suspended," Yomi absentmindedly replied as she focused on her phone. "Because of yesterday. Tomo-chan will be back Monday, and Kaorin will be back this time next week."

"That's terrible," Chiyo sadly noted. "I really don't think Kaorin-san was in control of herself."

Yomi nodded as she put the phone away. "We all know that much," she pointed out. "It's not like a suspension will teach that idiot anything, either."

Sakaki forlornly gazed at Kaorin's empty seat as the sensation of the cat-girl's lips on her own flashed through her mind. The tall girl had to shake her head to chase the errant thoughts away. As she opened her eyes, Sakaki found more unwelcome feelings welcoming her as she took in the sight of the no longer cute Chiyo again. "Kaorin… Chiyo-chan…" she mumbled in a barely audible tone.

"Kagura, too," Yomi added as she nodded to the girl struggling to stay afloat in a sea of fans. "It's been one hell of a week."

Chiyo nodded in agreement. "A lot of strange things seem to keep happening around us," she pointed out.

"It's disconcerting," Yomi observed. "I think I'd rather not have anything bizarre happen to me."

Although Sakaki was too concerned with her own thoughts to hear most of what was said between Chiyo and Yomi, she got the gist of it. "Do you think that we did something to cause this?" she asked.

Yomi shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted, "but this weird stuff does seem to only be targeting our little group."

"Maybe… maybe it's just a coincidence!" Chiyo asserted, unwilling to face the fact that she and her friends seemed to be the target of a mysterious phenomenon.

"Coincidence ended when you showed up today," Yomi dismissed. "You, Kagura, and Kaorin all have something strange happen to you in the same week. I don't buy 'coincidence' anymore."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaorin had just suffered through breakfast with her unbearable doctor. Compounding her trouble was the fact that the uninvited duo were still lounging around her house. In an effort to escape the unending frustrations brought by Kei, the cat-girl had retreated to her room. "Screw being suspended, if they really wanted to punish me they'd lock me in a room with Kei," she mumbled as she flopped down onto her bed. "He makes Tomo-chan seem soothing."

Absentmindedly groping around, Kaorin managed to retrieve her cell phone from her nightstand. When the screen flickered to life, she found a familiar icon greeting her. "A message," the cat-girl mumbled aloud as she saw that Yomi had sent her a message. Opening the mail, Kaorin read the text. "Looks like puberty hit Chiyo-chan like a freight train. We're going to go shopping with her after school. Can you come along, too? P.S. that photo isn't doctored." More than a little confused, Kaorin opened the attached photo. At first glance, she didn't know what to make of the tall, orange-haired girl standing next to Sakaki. Then it suddenly hit her that it was Chiyo. "Ehh?" She screeched her disbelief aloud as she suddenly sat up.

Almost as soon as she screamed, her door burst open to reveal Kei looking rather excited. "Did you grow fur?" he asked as he quickly approached the cat-girl.

"How is that your first thought?" Kaorin demanded as she nearly forgot what she had been so blown away about.

"It'd be sexy," he bluntly informed Kaorin, eliciting a glare from her.

"You're just all kinds of perverted, aren't you?" Kaorin spat.

Kei shamelessly nodded. "It's perfectly normal to be perverse. Everyone is just too ashamed to admit it," he claimed his usual defense. "So if you aren't suddenly sporting a fur coat, what seems to be the matter?"

Kaorin looked to the picture, to Kei, and back. "This," she offered as she handed the phone to Kei assuming he would understand since he saw Chiyo yesterday, too.

"A couple of your classmates?" Kei wondered as he recognized the uniforms. Then he had a light bulb moment as he recognized that the redhead was Chiyo. "Is that Chiyo-suke?" He asked aloud as he studied the picture. "Something seems to be a bit off," he noted aloud.

"That's Sakaki-san she's standing next to!" Kaorin excitedly informed Kei.

"She's got a great shape," Kei noted, igniting a barely containable blaze of fury in the cat-girl, "but if she's the same size as Chiyo-suke, she's gotta be a midget, right?"

"Sakaki-san is 174 centimeters tall!" Kaorin yelled at Kei, still infuriated by his offhand comments about her idol.

Looking back to the photo, the gears in Kei's head finally clicked into place. "So this picture is faked, then," he surmised as he studied the photo in a new light. "That must be why Chiyo-suke looks so strange."

"It's not doctored," Kaorin asserted. "Yomi-chan sent me that picture, and she seemed sincere about it," the cat-girl claimed. "Not to mention that Yomi-chan isn't the kind of person to do that sort of thing."

"Hmm," Kei contemplated aloud. "You are friends with Chiyo-suke, right?"

Kaorin nodded. "Of course," she affirmed.

"I have to see this for myself," he asserted as he tossed the phone back to Kaorin. "I guess we'll have to go there after all," he mumbled as he turned around and motioned for Kaorin to follow as he headed out of the teen's room.

Curious, Kaorin reluctantly followed the reprobate of a doctor. "What are you talking about?" The cat-girl demanded as she followed Kei into her own living room where her mother and Saeki were talking on the couch.

"Let's go," Kei announced, seemingly ignoring Kaorin altogether. "We've got to clear things up at Kaori-chan's school before my court date, right?"

Saeki stood as she cocked an eyebrow. "That's right, but why are you suddenly interested in doing the right thing?" It didn't even take a second for the bespectacled woman to correct herself. "Sorry, I mistook you for having a conscience. What selfish reason do you have for us to go there?"

"Doesn't matter," Kei dismissed as he thrust a thumb at the cat-girl next to him. "Koneko-chan here is coming with us, too. Let's go."

"Why am I going?" Kaorin demanded in a huff.

Kei held up a couple of fingers. "Two reasons. I'll need you to get Chiyo-suke for me, and I'll need you to distract Keiko if she catches on."

"Isn't that your little sister?" Saeki and Kaorin recalled simultaneously.

Kei nodded. "A little firecracker that one," he nostalgically reminisced. "Now let's go," he insisted as he pointed towards the door before heading in that direction.

"Don't forget that you still need to clear my name," Kaorin spat as she followed after.

* * *

As soon as Saeki dropped Kaorin and Kei off in front of the school grounds, Kei pointed the face of the main building. "Which one is Chiyo-suke's classroom?"

After studying the various windows for a few moments, Kaorin was able to spot Sakaki at her desk next to the window. "That's our classroom," she informed Kei as she pointed in Sakaki's direction.

Kei nodded to note that he understood. "Okay, now which room is Keiko in?" he asked.

Kaorin pointed one window to the right. "I remember Chiyo-chan saying that she was in Kurosourawa-sensei's class. It's right next to ours."

Kei paled as he sweatdropped. "Great," he mumbled with trepidation evident in his voice. "And do you know where the kyudo club room is?" the quirky doctor continued to prod.

This time Kaorin didn't have a straight answer for him. "I'm not really sure," she admitted. "It's not in the main building, though."

"That's a relief," Kei breathed a sigh as he turned his attention to the other buildings on the school grounds in an effort to discern where the kyudo club would meet. "Let's get this over with," he reluctantly stated as he gave up on figuring it out and started towards the main building.

Kaorin spent the trek into the main building wondering what on earth could make the normally unshakable doctor seem so uncertain. As they entered the building, Kei yielded the lead to the cat-girl since he wasn't exactly familiar with the layout of the school. "The principal's office is this way," Kaorin asserted as Kei seemed to be contemplating going up the stairs.

"Don't forget that we're here to see Chiyo-suke," Kei reminded the brunette.

"We're here to clear up the catnip incident!" Kaorin hissed as the duo finally approached the principal's office.

As they entered, the frumpy receptionist greeted them with obvious disdain. "Shouldn't you two be wearing uniforms?" she derisively noted.

"The white coat didn't give me away?" Kei asked rhetorically. "I'm her doctor," he insisted as he motioned towards the cat-girl.

"And I'm actually on suspension," Kaorin sheepishly added. "We're here to talk about that."

The secretary gave Kei a good long look before shaking her head. "There's no way you're old enough to be a doctor," she spat. "If you aren't a student here, I'll have to ask you leave the premises." She then set her gaze on Kaorin. "As for you, what part of suspension do you fail to comprehend? If you are suspended, you need to leave as well."

Sighing, Kei produced his ID as well as a few different certification cards in his name. "I'm a graduate of Toudai!" he hotly asserted, more than a little peeved at the pushy woman.

"I don't care what these say," the woman refused the cards without so much as glancing at them. "Get out now!"

"This is why I wanted to talk to Chiyo-suke first," Kei grumbled as he replaced the cards. He then pointed to the principal's door. "The principal is in there, right?" the wayward doctor asked.

"Leave now or I'm calling the police!" the secretary warned.

Taking that response as a yes, Kei rushed over and flung the door open. "You should fire this bitch!" Kei loudly announced as he stormed into the office while thrusting a thumb over his shoulder.

"Don't go in there!" the woman threatened as she picked up a phone.

Kaorin was frozen in place at Kei's more psychotic than usual behavior as she prayed that the receptionist wasn't about to actually call the police. "Kei! What the hell are you doing?" she hissed, although Kei seemed not to notice her.

"She's very rude and presumptuous," Kei asserted. "Not to mention ugly as hell. Isn't there a law that says a secretary has to be voluptuous?"

The principal was far from amused, although he was quite a bit more level-headed than the woman behind the desk. "To whom do I owe this intrusion?" he demanded with a bit of ire in his voice.

"Matsuda Kei," the genius introduced himself. "_Doctor_ Matsuda Kei, actually, I believe we've met before."

It took a moment of thought before the principal recognized Kei. As soon as he did, the principal shot to his feet as he motioned to a chair. "P-please, come in!" He earnestly offered. "Have a seat!" The principal then rushed over to the door and leaned out to hiss at the secretary. "Hang up that phone now!"

"Come have a seat, Kaori-chan," Kei insisted as he flopped down into a chair and motioned towards the other chair.

As the cat-girl entered, the principal closed the door behind her. "Matsuda-san… Matsuda-_sensei_," he corrected himself as he rounded his desk to take his seat. "Allow me to thank you again for your father's generous donation to our school."

"Huh?" Kei asked as he tried to recall the dinner he'd had with the old guy, his father, and a few other higher-ups in the school system. For the life of him, all Kei could remember was how boring the dinner was. He couldn't even remember any of the names. "That's right, my old man gave you some money for a new kyudo clubroom for Keiko, right?" the irresponsible doctor said as he finally remembered what the dinner was about.

"That's right," the principal assured. "Your younger sister's performance in both her club and academically are stellar. You should be proud."

"That's nice and all," Kei offhandedly dismissed, "but that's not why I'm here."

"I suppose it has something to do with Aida-san here?" He presumed as he motioned towards Kaorin. "Although I'm a bit confused as to how you two are acquainted."

"She's my patient," Kei announced.

The principal did a double take as he was taken aback by that tidbit of information. "R-really?" He asked as he failed to hide the surprise in his voice. "I didn't realize you were practicing already."

"Well… things certainly are more than a little strange regarding this case," Kei admitted.

"Can we please get to the point?" Kaorin impatiently demanded as she was getting fed up with the small talk.

After receiving a long stare from both men, Kei finally spoke up. "The thing is, I'm still trying to figure out her… unique situation," the doctor claimed in a professional manner. "As a result, I _may_ have encouraged that wildcat girl to give Kaorin the catnip," he admitted. "I merely wanted to know what her reaction would be; I had no idea it would be so… dramatic," he elaborated as he winged it, still not knowing exactly what had happened. "I came here to take responsibility for this fiasco," Kei admitted as he bowed a bit. "I should have shown more prudence."

Kaorin was downright floored by Kei's apparent sincerity. If she didn't know better, even she'd believe that Kei was repentant. "I-I didn't know about any of this until yesterday evening," Kaorin claimed in her defense.

"I didn't warn her before hand," Kei claimed. "Blind study, validity and all that."

The principal sat back in his chair as he took it all in. "You know, we're having a meeting this evening to discuss this… unique matter," he informed Kei. "I think it would be great if you could attend as well. Among other things, we're going to discuss a ban on catnip on school grounds. Your expertise as her doctor would be a great asset."

"I'll consider it, although I do have a court date this afternoon as an expert witness," Kei politely replied.

The principal chuckled as he shook his head. "Not only are you a doctor, but well versed enough to be an expert at only what, twenty?" he marveled. "We actually have an amazing student here that just might be as gifted as you."

"You mean Chiyo-su… er, Chiyo-chan, right?" Kei guessed. "We're already acquainted since our fathers are good friends."

"Do you know all of my students?" The principal jovially asked with a chuckle.

Kei laughed at the lousy joke merely to gratify the man behind the desk. "Actually, I wanted to talk with you about Chiyo-chan," he stated. "I was hoping to speak with her for a time."

"Be my guest," the principal easily allowed. "Just don't interrupt the classes. I think the next break is in just a few minutes."

"We should probably be going, then," Kei suggested as he stood up. "You should seriously consider a new receptionist, though. You can never go wrong with a bombshell!"

"I'm really sorry about that," the principal apologized as he stood as well to see the doctor out.

"How do I get to Chiyo-chan's classroom?" the suspiciously polite doctor inquired as he stepped out of the office with Kaorin in tow.

The principal pointed to Kaorin in response. "I'm certain Aida-san here can show you there," he assured. "They are both in Tanizaki-sensei's class, after all."

"Of course," Kei replied as he beat a hasty retreat back into the hallway. "That was such a pain," he complained once he and Kaorin were back into the hall. "Let's get this shit over with," he grumbled as he waited for Kaorin to lead him to her classroom.

Kaorin wasn't so eager to move along. "What the hell was that?" she hissed. "You-you were like… a normal person back there! More than that! You were… pleasant and-and polite!

"You forget that I'm the son of a very, very rich man," Kei reminded Kaorin. "If the situation calls for it, I can schmooze like the best of them. Now, where is Chiyo-suke?"

"Then why don't you act like that all the time?" Kaorin argued. "Instead of a perverted jerk!"

"It's boring and nothing short of lies hidden under the shroud of politeness," Kei scoffed as his ire began to grow. "I wouldn't have to do that ridiculous song and dance if everyone just did whatever they pleased instead of hiding behind pointless platitudes. Either way, it doesn't matter," he dismissed. "Just show me to your classroom, or I'll go and find it myself."

Sensing Kei's rising anger, Kaorin pointed as she started walking. "It's this way," she assured as she glanced back to make sure Kei was following behind. "Who knew that acting nice was your pet peeve?" she observed as she led him to the nearest staircase.

"You know, there's a reason they call it _acting_ nice and _being_ mean," Kei quipped as he struggled to shrug off his bad mood. "I'm not saying it's impossible for someone to be nice, but for the most part it's just a disguise intended to fool people. I try not to be that cowardly."

"That's… an interesting point of view," Kaorin replied as she led Kei to the second floor. "Though I don't really think that you're mean per se, just a thoughtless pervert."

"And it's that kind of honesty that I love!" Kei agreed with Kaorin.

"This is it," Kaorin announced in a low voice. "We'll just have to wait for the next break so- Hey!" she indignantly shouted as Kei ignored her completely and slid the door open.

"What? Who are you?" the teacher demanded as Kei made a flashy entrance.

"Matsuda Kei," he introduced himself as he offered a hand to the teacher, although his gaze went straight to the redhead. "I came here to talk to Chiyo-suke."

"I'm in the middle of class!" The teacher rebutted as he refused Kei's hand.

Kei grabbed the stranger's hand and basically forced him to shake his hand. "Looks like class here is just about over," he claimed before pointing to Chiyo. "I'll be talking to her."

Opening the hand that Kei had just shaken, the teacher found a few 10,000 yen bills. Stifling his excitement, he pocketed the money. "Class is dismissed," he clearly announced. "No homework." With that, he pulled up a chair and kept a wary eye on the doctor. Despite allowing himself to be bought off, the teacher wasn't about to put any of his students in danger by leaving them alone with this mystery guy.

"I don't suppose I can really call you Chiyo-suke anymore, huh?" Kei greeted as he strolled up to the redheaded genius.

"Kei-san! What are you doing here?" Chiyo hissed as she stood up.

Kaorin reluctantly entered the room as she figured that Kei wasn't about to be chased out by the teacher. "That's kind of my fault," she sheepishly admitted, having heard every word. "I showed him the picture that Yomi-chan sent me."

"I had to see it for myself," Kei elaborated. "I'm impressed."

"Wait a minute," Yomi stood as she glared at the doctor. "Just how do you know Chiyo-chan?" she jumped to Chiyo's defense.

"I've known my little protégé here her whole life," Kei asserted as he stood next to Chiyo, only to find that he only came up to her temple. "What on earth have they been feeding you?" he asked as he quickly forgot all about Yomi.

"Don't fall for it Kei-kun!" Osaka warned the doctor. "She ain't tha real Chiyo-chan! It's an imposter!"

As Kei enjoyed himself as he dealt with the growing crowd of girls, Sakaki found herself transfixed on the cat-girl. All it took was a single glance at the fuzzy-eared girl, and all the troubles and anxieties that had been compounding faded away in an instant. It took every bit of willpower she had not to get up and rush over to Kaorin. Thankfully, the cat-girl moved to the crowd that had sprung up around Chiyo and gave Sakaki an excuse to approach her without losing any face. No longer able to resist, Sakaki got up and made a beeline for the cat-girl. As she approached, however, the tall girl choked and failed to summon her voice. In the end, she just had to settle for standing awkwardly by thanks to her wavering heart.

"So, not only has Kaori-chan suddenly become a cat-girl and Chiyo-chan's grown half a meter overnight, but this sexy vixen has become inexplicably popular all in this week alone?" Kei summarized the discussion as he pointed to Kagura, who had also joined the group. Noticing Sakaki's approach, he motioned to her. "Anything happen to Sakaki-chan here?"

"How… do you know my name?" Sakaki asked as she finally found her voice.

"Koneko-chan mentioned you," Kei averred as he recalled the picture Kaorin had shown him. "She said you were one hundred seventy-four centimeters," the doctor continued as he put his hands on the tall girl's shoulders and coaxed her next to Chiyo. "That puts Chiyo-chan at what, 171? 172?" Kei estimated as he studied the two side-by-side.

"What do you think this all means?" Chiyo asked. "It's strange that all of this is happening, right?"

Kei nodded. "This is quite the conundrum," he agreed. "Isolating the cause won't be easy, but I'm sure I'll find it." The doctor then produced several business cards and handed them around. "Chiyo-chan and Kagura-chan, I would very much appreciate if you two would stop by my office so I can run a few tests on you."

As soon as she had a chance, Sakaki slipped away and found her way next to Kaorin. This time, words came easily. "Who is this guy?" she warily inquired.

Kaorin nearly jumped at the sound of Sakaki's voice. She had to look around to find that the tall girl had managed to get right next to her without drawing attention. "Sa-Sakaki-san!" Kaorin stammered out before bowing to her. "I'm really sorry about this!" she apologized. "That idiot is my doctor," she explained before bowing again. "And sorry again about yesterday!"

Sakaki couldn't help but blush as Kaorin brought up the kiss again. "It's… ah…" the tall girl uselessly stammered as she tried her damnedest to make her blush fade. "D-did you come to see Chiyo-chan, too?"

Kaorin shook her head. "Well… kind of," she admitted. "Kei was the jerk who gave Tomo the catnip. We came here so he could take responsibility."

That news served to further brighten Sakaki's day. "Does that mean that your suspension…" she asked as she couldn't help but to stare at the cat-girl's lips.

"I hope so," Kaorin admitted as she shied away from her idol's gaze, "There's some sort of meeting about it for the faculty after school," she explained as she recalled the conversation between the immoral doctor and her principal. "Kei apparently holds a lot of clout, even here. So I think it'll be okay if he goes… _if_ he goes..."

"Ah… um… today," Sakaki uncharacteristically stammered. "With Chiyo-chan, we were going shopping..." She tried to invite Kaorin along but ended up fumbling over her words thanks to her newfound nervousness at being around the cat-girl.

"Yomi-chan mentioned something about that," Kaorin recalled as she just then remembered that she had failed to reply to Yomi's text. "I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to make it," she admitted. "I am in a bit of hot water thanks to my suspension."

The fact that the cat-girl might not join the shopping trip was quite the letdown for the tall girl although Sakaki wouldn't let it dampen her façade. "I see," she mumbled as a hint of disappointment echoed in her voice although it was shadowed by the sound of the bell.

"Sounds like it's time to go!" Kei eagerly announced as the teacher left, fully convinced that Kei wasn't going to cause any trouble.

"Eh?" Kaorin questioned as Kei said his goodbyes to the group of girls. "We still have until the next class starts," she reasoned in an effort to prolong her time with her idol.

"Trust me," Kei assured, "we need to leave before-" he tried to finish, but was interrupted by a door to the classroom bursting open to reveal a rather ordinary looking girl with shoulder length hair. "Before that happens," Kei finished with a sigh as he adopted a look akin to that of a deer caught in the headlights. "H-hey there, Keiko, long time no see," he greeted with a nervous smile. "How's my little sis' been doing?"

"I thought that I heard you, Onii-san," the girl identified as Keiko greeted with a forced smile. "I've been doing great since you stopped coming around… and _then_ you show up here," she claimed in a strained tone.

"W-well it was nice catching up," Kei dismissed as he inched towards the other door.

Keiko looked to the nearest student as she adopted a much more sincere smile. "Excuse me, but could you please stand up for a second?" she sweetly asked. The boy, of course, obeyed the request as he stood up. As soon as he was clear of the seat, Keiko grabbed the chair and raised it above her head as her expression changed to a downright demonic look. "I'll kill you!" she screamed as she sprinted towards Kei.

Kei quickly abandoned exiting through the door when Keiko beat him there, and nearly brought the chair down on him with immense force that screamed she wasn't playing around. "C-can't we talk this out?" Kei begged as he quickly picked up an empty chair and used it to parry Keiko's ferocious attacks.

"I'd prefer it if you'd just bleed out!" Keiko barked back as she abandoned the chair and managed to grab Kei's arm. In quite the feat of strength and raw anger, she managed to throw Kei, chair and all, over her shoulder.

Kei crashed into several desks as he lost the chair in his painful fall. The next thing he knew, Keiko was already standing above him wearing a sadistic smile. Quickly rolling away from his little sister, Kei managed to narrowly avoid getting stomped on. "Look out!" he bluffed as he pointed behind Keiko as he scrambled to his feet.

"That's my line!" Keiko countered as she rewarded Kei with a roundhouse kick to the face, sending the doctor reeling back into the windows.

"That… really hurts you know," Kei choked out in an attempt to placate his little sister. Seeing her charge in for another attack, Kei was left with little choice as he quickly worked the latch on the window he was backed into. In one smooth action, he jumped up and over the windowsill before dangling himself as close to the ground as he could before letting go and falling three stories. As he stood and dusted himself off, Kei looked up to find Keiko glowering down at him. Once more in control of the situation, Kei allowed his infallible smile to return. "I'll be sure to send you something nice for your birthday next month!" he shouted up to Keiko before making a hasty retreat.

Keiko couldn't help but to grunt in frustration as Kei managed to slip away. Turning around, she found all of class 3 staring at her with bewildered looks of shock and disbelief. "I-I'm really sorry!" she sincerely apologized as she bowed. "I got a bit carried away." Keiko then retrieved the chair she had borrowed and returned it to the boy. "Thanks for letting me use it," she earnestly thanked the boy before hurrying out the room, more than a little embarrassed.

"What the hell was that?" Kagura asked the question on everyone's mind.

"I believe it," Kaorin and Chiyo simultaneously muttered.

"J-just what kind of guy is he?" Yomi worriedly asked as she spun around to look at Chiyo and Kaorin.

"Kei-san can be kind of… selfish," Chiyo answered her in as polite a way as she could muster.

Kaorin nodded in agreement with Chiyo. "Don't forget that he's also thoughtless, conceited, and a pervert to boot," she added as she made her way to the door. "I need to get going," the cat-girl dismissed herself. "He'll probably try to leave without me."

"Chiyo-chan, is that guy really okay?" Yomi seriously grilled the genius as Kaorin vanished into the hallway.

"Kei-san might have a bad personality, but I don't believe that he'd hurt anyone," she defended the quirky doctor. "He really isn't a bad guy at heart."

"Kei-kun seems all right ta me," Osaka butted in before cozying up to Yomi and whispering to her. "Ya'll shouldn't listen ta tha imposter. If ya'll let 'er fool ya, then it's all over," she seriously advised.

"I keep telling you, I'm the real Chiyo!" the genius averred, having heard every word of Osaka's clandestine advice.

Sakaki, meanwhile, had made her way over to the windows in a feeble attempt to catch another glance of the cat-girl. _I hope everything works out,_ she silently prayed as she gazed out over the courtyard. Unbelievably, the tall girl managed to spot the fuzzy-eared girl as she dashed away from the school. Sakaki tracked Kaorin's every move until she managed to slip out of view. A few moments after Kaorin left her sight, Sakaki let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as that uneasy loneliness started to creep up again.

As she stepped off of school grounds, Kaorin managed to find Kei as he tried to convince Saeki to take off without the cat-girl. "What the hell was that about?" Kaorin demanded.

"Well, you were taking too long and I figured that you could find your own way home, so-"

"Not that!" Kaorin interrupted Kei as she climbed into Saeki's car. "What on earth did you do to make your younger sister seriously try to kill you?"

"Is that why you're bleeding on my seats?" Saeki scolded. "You have to be in court in two hours you know!"

Kei shrugged. "She's just like that," he cryptically dismissed.

"There must be something you've done to make her that vengeful!" Kaorin accused.

"Hmm," Kei contemplated as he tried to think back to something that would upset his sister. There was that one time three years ago when he 'borrowed' his father's car and totaled it, only to successfully pin the escapade Keiko by 'borrowing' her purse and stashing it in the car. Or she might still be sore by the time a couple of months later when their father refused to give Kei any money, so to make a quick buck he stole all of her underwear and sold them to her classmates. Also, there was the incident two years ago when Keiko brought that no-good boyfriend home, so Kei did what any good big brother would do. He forged several medical documents stating that Keiko had more venereal diseases than a 19th century whore and showed them to the loathsome boy, successfully making him dump Keiko.

Turning back to Kaorin, Kei just shrugged as he shook his head. "I don't know what makes her like that," he claimed with a straight face. "I've been an ideal older brother to her."

_It's a lie... It's definitely a lie!_both Kaorin and Saeki thought even though they failed to spot even a tiny flaw in Kei's poker face.

* * *

Kaorin fought against the butterflies in her stomach as she rode the train. In the end, her mother allowed her to go shopping with the rest of the group, and since the rest of the group included Sakaki, the cat-girl was beside herself with anxiousness. After all, she had never before actually made any plans to go on an outing that included the tall, silent girl before. Kaorin was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she nearly missed her stop and had to scramble to get off the train before the doors closed. As she managed to break away from the crown, the cat-girl failed to find any of her friends waiting for her. "We were supposed to meet here, right?" she mumbled to herself as she continued scanning through the crowds looking for Sakaki. After all, the girl was so tall that she could stick out in most any crowd. "Where are they?" Kaorin fretted as she found herself feeling a bit forsaken.

Having little other recourse, Kaorin pulled out her phone to call Yomi. As she looked at the device she found that she missed a message from none other than the bespectacled brunette. Opening the text, Kaorin learned that the group had already set out with Chiyo to a nearby salon to get the redhead a new hair style. It also mentioned that Kagura was staying at school because of her club and that the oh-so-annoying Tomo was already with the group. "Great," Kaorin sarcastically mumbled aloud as she put the phone away. She hadn't even met up with her friends and this outing was already not going well at all.

As Kaorin made it to the hair salon Yomi mentioned, she spotted the entire group leaving the shop. "Hey, everyone!" the cat-girl greeted as she ran up to the group.

"Glad you could make it," Yomi greeted back before motioning to Chiyo. "So, what do you think? She asked in reference to Chiyo's new hair style, which was a simple change overall. Two barrettes on either side of her head kept her short hair clear of her face while a small, high ponytail corralled the rest of her errant hair.

"It's cute," Kaorin attested with an uncertain smile before pointing to the girl in question. "But what's up with all the bandages?" she asked in reference to the various band-aids, gauze, and medical tape adorning the now tall girl's hands, elbows, knees, and face.

Chiyo sweatdropped as she offered an embarrassed smile. "I seem to be having some balance problems with my new height," she admitted.

"After her fourth face-plant, Kurosawa-sensei made her sit out for the rest of gym," Yomi added in.

The conversation was brought to an end as Tomo shoved her way to the front of the group. "Look at what the cat dragged in!" she derisively goaded in a blatant attempt to get a rise out of the cat-girl.

Kaorin growled at the comment. "What the hell was that?" she challenged.

"I've been thinking and thinking of ways to pay you back for stealing my first kiss," the wildcat proclaimed. "Then Koyomi-kun here told me to just suck it up and get over it," she explained as she pointed to Yomi. "She's right. The best revenge is to accept things as they are." Tomo then closed the distance between them before poking Kaorin in the chest. "You still have to take responsibility for what you did," she reminded the cat-girl. "Since you kissed me, that makes us girlfriends," she asserted, surprising the hell out of everyone. Then, even more unexpectedly, Tomo reached behind Kaorin's head and drew the cat-girl's lips to her own.

As soon as Kaorin broke free of Tomo's rather assertive kiss, she made a big show of wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Ugh! That's disgusting!" the cat-girl shouted as she did her best to cleanse her mouth.

Tomo seemed to be completely unfazed. "Since you're my girlfriend, buy me something," she demanded as she thrust a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the various shops down the street.

The wildcat's harassment was interrupted as a hand gripped her shoulder from behind with enough force to elicit more than a little pain. As Tomo was forced to spin around, she didn't find Yomi like she had expected. Instead, the wildcat found herself face-to-face with a very, very angry Sakaki. "Stop it," she firmly ordered as she gave Tomo a fierce glare.

For once, Tomo found herself feeling a bit afraid. "O-okay," she meekly replied, eliciting Sakaki to wordlessly release the irritating girl from her powerful grasp. "Sorry," Tomo then apologized to Kaorin as she rubbed her aching shoulder.

"Once again, it's your own damned fault," Yomi berated her friend before pointing down the street. "Come on, Chiyo-chan still needs new clothes."

As the girls trailed after Yomi and Chiyo, Kaorin made sure to fall in step beside Sakaki. "Th-thank you, Sakaki-san," the cat-girl sincerely appreciated the tall girl's assistance.

Sakaki just nodded in response. Although she wouldn't admit it, that little fuss put her in a bad mood, even though the tall girl couldn't figure out why it seemed to get under her skin. "Are you all right?" she thought to ask as she realized Kaorin had been staring at her the whole time.

"Well, aren't you two all lovey-dovey?" Tomo derisively taunted, making sure to keep Yomi between herself and Sakaki. The ploy failed to get the desired raise out of either of the girls. Instead they both just looked to the ground as their blushes deepened. Tomo couldn't help but grin at the apparent situation. "Eh? I was right?" she presumed. "You two are dating?"

"No!" Sakaki quickly denied the accusation.

"You've got the wrong idea!" Kaorin also refuted.

After figuring out that Sakaki wasn't going to maul Tomo for her continued antics, Yomi decided to jump in to defend her friends. "Stop imagining ridiculous things," she scolded. The bespectacled girl then pointed to Tomo as she looked to Sakaki. "If you want to hit her, go ahead," she encouraged. "She's really asking for it."

Tomo visibly paled as Sakaki sent a glance in her direction. Slowly the wildcat finally started to learn that any teasing of the tall girl might be an unwise decision. "Withdrawn," Tomo relented in a flat tone. "I've never seen her angry before," she whispered to Yomi in reference to Sakaki. "It's pretty scary."

Yomi didn't pay the idiot any mind as she did her best to spur the mood back into a positive direction. "Say, how much do you have to spend?" Yomi asked as she turned to Chiyo. "You are going to need a whole new wardrobe, after all."

Chiyo reached into her pocket and produced a small wallet before pulling out a single card. "Otou-san said something like that, too," she explained as she held up the credit card. "So he said I could use his credit card."

All the girls could only think of one thing: if it's Chiyo-chichi's, that means it has no limit! Well… except for Sakaki, who was busy imagining Chiyo-chichi handing her the card as he praised her on her newfound height. And while Kaorin stared at Sakaki wondering why Sakaki seemed to be excited about something, Tomo made sure to fall in step beside Chiyo as she draped an arm around the tall genius's shoulders. "So, that means you're treating us all, right?" Tomo sweetly asked as she stared at the small hunk of plastic.

"E-eh?" Chiyo squeaked as she instinctively slid the card back into the wallet.

"I don't have any money!" Tomo whined as she released Chiyo. "You have infinite money there!" she continued to complain as she pointed to the pocket where Chiyo's wallet disappeared. "Buy me something!"

Although Yomi had qualms about Tomo's tactless approach, she wasn't about to complain if Chiyo was a bit generous with that card. "You aren't obliged to do anything you don't want to," Yomi informed Chiyo.

"But if you _want_ to, go ahead and buy us all new outfits! That'd be awesome!" Tomo interrupted.

"It would be," Yomi admitted with a small smile. "I lost two kilos, so I'm going to reward myself with an outfit either way," she found herself bragging.

"You say that," Tomo challenged in a know-it-all tone, "but weren't you just complaining a few weeks ago that you put on a couple of kilos?"

Tomo's words clearly struck a blow against Yomi as the brunette's air of happiness was quickly replaced with gloom and anger. She actually shook with anger as she contemplated the consequences of pushing the wildcat in front of a moving bus. "Didn't you say that you put on weight recently, too?" Yomi bit back in a petty act of vengeance.

Tomo recoiled at the accusation. "That-that's only because my bust has been increasing!" Tomo defended herself.

"You claim that, but this eleven-year-old has bigger breasts than you!" Yomi retorted as she pointed to Chiyo, causing the redhead to blush.

"That! That! That! Damn it!" Tomo shouted as she angrily pointed at Yomi before pointing to Chiyo. "This is your fault!" she stupidly accused.

"I-I… um!" Chiyo fretted as she had no clue how to respond to the baseless accusation.

Once more on the winning side, the bespectacled girl couldn't help but to grin. "How cute," Yomi mocked. "Tomo-chan is jealous of a little kid's chest."

"Ah'm jealous, too," Osaka butted in. "She ain't Chiyo-chan though, so she ain't a kid, either. Ah'd bet she's probably at least fifteen."

"But she is Chiyo-chan, isn't she?" Kaorin joined the conversation, fully unaware of Osaka's continued protests.

"Yes!" Everyone asserted, except Osaka who claimed the opposite.

"What will it take for me to convince you that I really am me?" Chiyo earnestly asked.

Osaka shook her head. "Ah ain't gonna let you trick me! There's no way ya'll can trick me!"

"She's been like this all day," Yomi informed the cat-girl.

Tomo interrupted them by flamboyantly pointing down the street. "Look out! Yukari-chan is driving this way!"

"Kyaa!" Chiyo screamed in horror as she ran to hide behind Sakaki for cover, only to be beaten there by Osaka. She instead settled for crouching down and hiding behind Osaka and covering her head. "I don't want to die!" the genius wailed.

"I lied." Tomo pointed out the obvious, much to the relief of the two traumatized girls.

"That was mean!" Osaka scolded as she warily got out from behind Sakaki.

Tomo just shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I'm convinced that it's Chiyo-chan," she pointed out. "Even if it was a pod-person with all of Chiyo-chan's memories or something like that I'm pretty sure that she wouldn't have reacted like that. Right, Chiyo-chan?"

"I really thought I was going to die!" Chiyo wailed as she wiped her tears away, no longer caring at all about Osaka.

"Even if it was a little cruel, I think Tomo-chan made the point quite well," Yomi asserted as she motioned to Chiyo. "She has to be Chiyo-chan."

Osaka stopped to scrutinize Chiyo. "Ah'll admit she sure acts like Chiyo-chan. Her eyes are just tha same as Chiyo-chan's, too." After studying the tall girl for a time, she nodded. "Ah still don't see how Chiyo-chan can get that big," she claimed as she held out a hand at Chiyo's previous height. "Chiyo-chan's supposed ta be just like this. If ya'll are really Chiyo-chan, then ya'll should be like this!"

In an effort to placate the confused girl, Chiyo squatted down and hugged her knees to lower herself to her previous height. "Like this?" she offered with an uncertain smile.

"No!" Osaka refused. "Ah mean really go back ta tha way ya'll were!"

"But… that is completely impossible," Chiyo lamented as she got up and rejoined the group.

"I'm not so sure I believe in that word anymore," Kaorin cut in as she pointed to her ears. "Impossible seems pretty plausible to me."

Yomi nodded. "We need to talk about all this weird stuff sometime," she asserted as she pointed to the nearby doors of a rather large clothing store. "But for now, let's stay focused on getting Chiyo-chan into something that isn't about to slip off of her." Yomi suggested as she tugged on the borrowed clothes to emphasize her point.

As the group crossed the threshold into the store, Tomo couldn't help but to state the obvious. "This place is huge!" she marveled.

"I picked this one because it has such a wide selection," Yomi explained as she pointed and led the way. "After all, Chiyo-chan is so tall and thin it's going to be a bit of a hassle to find clothes that will fit her well."

"Where do we start?" Osaka asked as the group followed after Yomi.

"You always start with the foundation," Yomi asserted as she pointed again. "Lingerie is this way."

"Have you ever worn a bra before?" Kaorin asked as she noticed Chiyo patting her chest.

Chiyo shook her head. "I'm a little excited," she admitted with a smile.

"Do you even know what size you are?" the cat-girl continued to pry.

"S-sort of," Chiyo nervously replied. "The nurse took my measurements for my new uniforms, although don't remember what they were."

"The measurements for a bra are a bit different than that," Kaorin assured. "We'll just have to get someone to help you get the right size."

Tomo immediately shot an arm into the air. "I'm on it!" the wildcat boisterously volunteered as she dashed off, leaving the rest of the girls in a sea of frills.

Chiyo couldn't help but to stare at all of the underwear on display. "I didn't know… there were so many kinds," she muttered in a daze. Picking a random pair of panties up, she nearly dropped them in surprise. "Half of it's missing!"

"That's a thong," Yomi informed the oversized child. "Don't worry about it. You're still too young to… appreciate most of these. You should just get something plain and practical."

"But I'm an adult now," Chiyo argued. "Shouldn't I wear the same kinds of clothes as you all?"

The entire group fell silent as they awkwardly looked back and forth at one another, unsure of how to respond. Luckily, the situation was diffused by a certain wildcat as she stormed back towards them dragging a young woman in a uniform behind her. "Mission accomplished!" Tomo announced. The loud girl then pointed to Chiyo. "That's her."

"You… do you need any assistance?" the frazzled woman politely asked with an uncertain smile.

Chiyo slowly nodded, still holding the thong in her hands. As soon as she realized that, Chiyo blushed as she quickly put it back.

Yomi quickly came to the redhead's rescue. "She's never gotten a bra before," she announced as she motioned to Chiyo. "Isn't that right, Chiyo-chan?"

"R-right," Chiyo admitted. "So I don't know my size or how to wear one or anything like that," she finished with a small blush signifying her embarrassment.

The woman was a bit perplexed, but continued to smile anyway as she motioned to the fitting booths. "I can help fit you," she politely offered.

"I'll be right here if you need a hand," Yomi offered as she positioned herself just outside of the dressing room that Chiyo and the employee disappeared into.

"You've really never worn a brassiere before?" the employee asked from behind the curtain. "This is long overdue."

"Chiyo-chan was as flat as can be yesterday!" Tomo eagerly shouted as she browsed through the underwear. Even if she didn't have any money, there was a good chance that she could use something here to harass someone, somehow.

As many of the other girls began to browse the store's vast selection, Sakaki found a bench next to the dressing stalls and sat down. Finally having a moment to herself, the tall girl couldn't help but to think back on Tomo's words. When the annoying girl had accused her of being Kaorin's girlfriend, Sakaki didn't feel angry or even embarrassed. Instead, she felt something more akin to excitement, maybe even joy. Sakaki then suddenly shot up off of the bench as she shook her head in an attempt to chase the errant thoughts away. As soon as she was certain that the thoughts had been chased off, the tall girl took a moment to compose herself and slowly sat back down. It didn't take her even half a second to pick a certain pair of fuzzy ears out as her eyes were drawn to Kaorin. All it took was a momentary glance at the cat-girl to make Sakaki's heart race and her cheeks heat up. _This is bad!_ Sakaki thought to herself as she tried to reign in her rampaging emotions.

"Are ya feelin' all right?" Osaka asked Sakaki as she prepared to enter a dressing booth with a few things in hand.

Sakaki slowly shook her head. "I feel a little… bad," she admitted as she put a hand on her stomach to quell the butterflies within.

"Ah guess Chiyo-chan will have to go through that now, too," Osaka replied before disappearing behind a curtain.

"You don't have to force yourself to stay if you aren't feeling up to it," Yomi suggested, having overheard everything. "The rest of us are still here to support Chiyo-chan."

"One cup size bigger," the employee's voice requested from within Chiyo's dressing room.

"You've got to be kidding me," Yomi mumbled as she went to fetch another bra.

Sakaki sighed once she was alone again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about Kaorin. Especially with the cat-girl being in such close proximity. As Sakaki's thoughts trailed back to the strange kiss she had shared with Kaorin and the wildcat's words, Sakaki could no longer deny her feelings. The tall girl's stomach did flip-flops as she finally admitted to herself that she liked the cat-girl in a way that she probably shouldn't.

Worse still was the complete hopelessness of ever actually doing anything with Kaorin. As the catnip-induced kiss proved, doing something like that would be nothing short of complete humiliation. No to mention that Sakaki's mother would outright explode if she so much as caught wind of the fact that her daughter had a crush on the cat-girl. Although the biggest obstacle as Sakaki saw it was Kaorin's apparent opposition to do anything with another girl. After all, Kaorin seemed to find Tomo's ill-spirited advances as nothing short of repulsive. No matter how she looked at it, Sakaki found any endeavor towards anything more than a friendship with Kaorin to be entirely fruitless. Her only recourse was obvious. Sakaki would simply have to have to stifle her errant emotions and settle for merely being Kaorin's friend. The tall girl was always keeping her emotions in check, so how hard could it be to keep her feelings for Kaorin under wraps?

"Sakaki-san, how are you feeling?" a tantalizing voice interrupted Sakaki's reflection.

The tall girl looked up to find Kaorin staring at her with concern gracing every feature of the cat-girl's face. It was a brilliantly cute expression that actually made Sakaki dizzy.

"Osaka said that you weren't feeling well," she elaborated as she noted that Sakaki's hands were gingerly placed over her stomach. "I don't suppose I'd want to try anything on if I were in your position, either," she offered in an attempt to make her idol feel better.

Sakaki was mortified at the misunderstanding, although she hid it flawlessly. "I'm all right," she assured as she struggled to keep all of her emotions in check. "I feel fine."

Before the conversation could continue any further, the sound of a curtain being rapidly drawn drew their attention to Chiyo as she walked out behind the employee. "Is there anything else I can assist you with?" the young woman politely asked as she offered Chiyo a small bow.

"No, it's all right," Chiyo declined just as politely with a bow of her own. "Thank you for your help."

As the employee dismissed herself, Tomo appeared in a flash with undergarments in hand. "I found the perfect set for Chiyo-chan!" she announced as she shoved the lingerie into Chiyo's arms before pushing her back into the changing room. "Try 'em on!"

"Just what did you give her?" Yomi practically accused.

"It's just the right size," Tomo defended herself.

Yomi just grumbled as she took it upon herself to find Chiyo the proper size underwear in the plainest style possible. After all, despite her new appearance, Chiyo was still more than a little underage. Not to mention that Yomi was completely certain that whatever Tomo handed her wouldn't fit or would somehow otherwise not work out at all.

"Did Chiyo-chan find somethin' that fit?" Osaka asked as she appeared from behind the curtain sporting a bust size comparable to Kaorin's. "How do I look?" she asked as she straightened her obviously fake breasts.

"What did you stuff it with?" Tomo asked.

"It's real," Osaka challenged.

Tomo recoiled at the assertion. First she lost out to Chiyo, and now Osaka somehow beat her, too? "It's a lie!" Tomo challenged as she quickly approached Osaka and made sure to vigorously grope the space cadet's boobs. Immediately sensing something off, she reached into Osaka's shirt through the collar and came back out with a sock in hand. "I knew it!"

"It'd sure be nice if it was true," Osaka lamented as she pulled out several more socks before heading back into a fitting booth. "Ah wish ah could get lucky like Chiyo-chan an' get a better figure."

"It's good to hear that you've come around," Yomi replied as she reappeared with several sets of underwear.

As everyone waited on Chiyo, Kaorin reached into her pocket and retrieved a small metal ball.

"What's that?" Sakaki asked as she noticed the puzzled look Kaorin was giving the object.

"My meteorite," the cat-girl recalled as she kept staring at the hunk of space metal. "I could've sworn it was really warm just now, but I must've been imagining things."

"Um… I think maybe didn't get it right," Chiyo's voice interrupted everything as it echoed out from behind the curtain. "Can someone show me again?"

"Sure," Yomi nonchalantly replied as she disappeared into Chiyo's dressing room. "C-c-cover up!" she suddenly screeched as soon as she entered.

Hearing the excitement, everyone gathered around to hear more.

"I've been trying!" Chiyo's voice wailed in response from behind the curtain. "What am I doing wrong?"

"You-you're not doing anything wrong!"

"I don't understand!"

"You're wearing it right! It's supposed to be like that!"

"What kind of underwear is made to be like this?"

"Ju-just take it off! Put one of these on instead!"

"It won't come off!"

"I-I… look just slip out of it! Or put your clothes… Sakaki-chan's over them!"

"How will that help!"

"F-Fine! Here! Like this!"

A few moments later, Yomi emerged wearing a deep blush. "I feel like a criminal," she admitted as she glanced around at the gathered crowd. Finding her target, she pointed at Tomo as she sent a pointed glare in her direction. "You!" Yomi growled as she tried her damnedest to kill the wildcat with her mind. "You are evil!"

Tomo's smile only widened as she could barely contain her laughter. "How did she look? Sexy, right?"

Yomi's blush only deepened at the comment. "She's… Chiyo-chan isn't just taller," the bespectacled girl stammered. "She's an adult… ev-everywhere."

As the group stood around being confused, Chiyo emerged from the booth once more fully clothed. "Th-Thank you, Yomi-san."

Quickly grabbing the garments that Tomo had picked out, Yomi threw them at Tomo. "Put that crap back!" she barked as the naughty lingerie smacked the wildcat in the face.

"Augh! That's gross!" Tomo wailed as she pried the underwear off of her face. "Do you even know where these have been?"

"Yes!" Yomi retorted as her blush returned.

"I… I should go pay for these," Chiyo announced as she held up what Yomi had picked out for here.

"Don't ya'll say that you wanted ta try out more adult lookin' stuff earlier?" Osaka recalled.

Chiyo just blushed considering the ordeal she had just suffered. "I-I don't think that I am quite ready for anything like that just yet."

"I'll be going with her to make sure everything goes well… and so she doesn't fall flat on her face," Yomi volunteered. "We'll meet you guys back over by the other dressing rooms," she announced as she pointed in the direction of a set of dressing rooms nestled deep within a sea of women's clothing.

As Chiyo and Yomi started off, Osaka quickly trailed after. "So if ya'll are grown up, does that mean that ya'll were kidnapped by aliens? Or did ya time travel?"

"O-Osaka-san, it's not…"

"I'm gonna go find something nice," Tomo announced as she pointed towards the dressing booths Yomi mentioned. "I'm still hoping big-Chiyo's gonna be generous with her credit card."

Kaorin trailed after Tomo, and Sakaki followed after Kaorin's swaying tail. "I might have enough for an outfit," the cat-girl did her best to make small talk with the irritating girl. "I'm not sure if I want to spend it, though."

"Then we need to convince Chiyo-chan to buy us all something!" Tomo practically shouted. "Don't you want something, too, Sakaki-chan?"

Sakaki just absentmindedly nodded as she followed every twitch and sway of Kaorin's tail. "It's nice," she mumbled aloud.

Tomo quickly stopped in her tracks as she spotted something. "I'll be right back," she announced as she took off in a sprint.

Suddenly left alone with Sakaki, Kaorin couldn't help but to feel a bit nervous. "S-so if you aren't feeling well, does that mean that you aren't going to try anything on?" she asked in an attempt to break the stifling silence.

Sakaki shook her head as she scanned through the selection more to keep her eyes away from Kaorin than any other reason. "I feel fine."

"That's good," Kaorin automatically replied as she followed Sakaki's example and tried to focus on something other than her idol. It didn't really work. All the cat-girl could think about was the fact that she was practically alone with Sakaki and the uncomfortable silence that kept creeping up. "Do you really think that something… sinister is going on?" Kaorin suggested as she looked back to Sakaki again. "It really does seem unlikely that all of the weird stuff that's been going on is totally random."

"I hope that it's all random," Sakaki replied as she chanced a glance back at the cat-girl, only to spy a certain wildcat lurking about.

"I guess I hope it's like that, too," Kaorin admitted. The cat-girl then pointed to her ears for emphasis. "It's scary to think more things like this might happen."

Sakaki failed to reply as she suddenly clasped a hand over her mouth and a blush touched her cheeks.

Seeing Sakaki's bizarre reaction, Kaorin tilted her head slightly as confusion adorned her face. "Are you really feeling all right?" she empathetically asked.

"C-cute!" Sakaki blurted out, unable to contain herself any further.

Just as Kaorin's bewilderment was getting the better of her, a small snickering sounded right in her ears. Alarmed, Kaorin looked from side to side before turning all the way around to find a grinning Tomo holding what appeared to be a black leather strap in her hand. "What's the big idea!" she demanded in an angry tone.

"Apparently, it looks good on you," Tomo announced as she held up the object, which was a collar with an oversized bell attached. She then stepped aside to allow Sakaki a full view of herself. "What do you think, even cuter on me, right?" Tomo asked as she held up the accessory to her neck.

Sakaki shook her head, having completely recovered her stoic demeanor. "Not at all."

Kaorin deftly snatched the trinket away from a motionless Tomo and examined it. Although she was sore with Tomo about scaring the hell out of her, she couldn't help but to feel happy and perhaps a bit embarrassed at Sakaki's earlier compliment. "Where did you find this thing anyway?" she growled at the rather deflated wildcat.

Tomo's disappointment quickly turned to indignation. "I'm way cuter than her!" she shouted at Sakaki as she pointed to Kaorin. "You just don't know anything about cuteness since all you've got is coolness!"

More than a bit miffed at Tomo's baseless anger, Kaorin shoved the wildcat. "No! You just don't know anything about anything because you're an idiot!"

"I'll second that notion," Yomi announced as she returned with Osaka and Chiyo.

"Who's cuter?" Tomo demanded as she pointed between herself and Kaorin. "Me, right?"

"An angry, irritating girl or the world's one and only cat-girl," Yomi scoffed as she motioned to Kaorin. "It's no contest."

"Fine!" Tomo angrily relented. "But I'm way cooler!"

"Doesn't looking cool or cute usually depend on the clothes?" Chiyo asked as she looked about at the various clothing racks.

While Yomi looked thoughtful, both Sakaki and Kaorin shook their heads. "It's impossible," the two of them replied simultaneously.

Yomi smiled as she hatched a good idea. "Why don't we put it to the test?" she suggested as she motioned to Chiyo. "Let's have Chiyo-chan try on both and see if she can pull them off just as well."

Once again eager to volunteer, Tomo had an arm draped around Yomi's shoulders as she threw her hand into the fray. "I'll do it, too!"

Shrugging Tomo off of herself, Yomi offered Chiyo a wave as she started to part ways with the group. "I'm going to look for something, too."

As everyone fanned out, Kaorin made a beeline for the dressing booths. Once inside, she tentatively brought the collar to her neck and attached it. The cat-girl had mixed feelings as she looked at herself reflected in the mirror. Although even she couldn't deny that it was cute, it still made her a bit uneasy. After all, up to this point Kaorin had been doing all she could insofar as to convince herself that this turn of events wasn't going to be permanent. In doing so, she had done her best to refute her transformation and could only see her change as something to be ashamed of.

Kaorin sighed as she touched the cool metal dangling from her neck. "Maybe… I should just embrace it," she mumbled aloud. All of her friends seemed to think that it made her cute. Even Sakaki had praised her on it. At first, she tried out a few catlike poses and found that she could really pull them off in a devastatingly cute manner. With a newfound confidence Kaorin ended up trying pose after pose and even though they were all cute, she couldn't help but to feel that something was wrong.

With a sigh, she removed the bell and held it in her hands as she looked to her now pathetic-looking reflection as she realized what was off. The girl in the mirror was cute, but it wasn't her. Kaorin still couldn't find it in her heart to accept it. _This is wrong!_ her mind screamed as she dumped the bell on a clothing hook. In a desperate attempt at denial, she clasped her hands over her ears and looked in the mirror to find a ridiculous-looking girl with her hands on her head looking back at her. Kaorin slowly removed her hands as her ears popped back up. _This is… me,_ she miserably thought. That realization made her stomach turn as she immediately looked away from her reflection. What she found herself looking at was none other than the seemingly benign bell. Slowly picking it up, she again bound it around her neck. Once more looking to her reflection, Kaorin found the ornament just as distasteful as before.

Instead of casting the necklace off again, Kaorin just turned her back to the mirror. In an attempt to alleviate her contempt for the silver ball, she tried just looking down at it. Sure enough, without her ears and tail in the picture, the bell seemed much less offensive. Tentatively looking back to the mirror, the cat-girl again tried to hide her ears by putting her hands on her head. This time she wasn't fooled at all. Kaorin ended up removing her hands with a dejected sigh. As she was again faced with the cat-girl staring back at her, Kaorin was tempted to rip the bell from her neck again. Instead, she settled for just wrapping a hand around the bell and preventing its image from reaching her eyes. Just as she suspected, even without the bell in view the cat-girl staring back at her was just as distasteful as before.

_It's not the bell,_ Kaorin thought as she realized that the problem was her own inability to accept her transformation and not the gaudy accessory. _I have to get used to this_, she decided as she released the bell. _I need to be able to accept this!_

With that thought, Kaorin spun around and exited the dressing room with an ephemeral confidence that rapidly converted into uncertainty after just a few steps. Just as she started to contemplate retreating back to the dressing room, a familiar voice prevented her escape.

"There ya'll are. We were getting' worried about ya," Osaka greeted with a wave as she came out of a dressing booth right behind Kaorin.

Although Osaka sounded close, Kaorin failed to spot the girl in any direction she looked. _Damned ears,_ she mentally cursed as she finally had the presence of mind to check behind herself. As she saw Osaka, Kaorin couldn't help but to give the girl a puzzled look. "You're… going to wear that?" she asked as she noted the spacey girl's attire, which happened to be a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a dress shirt.

"It's Tomo-chan's idea," Osaka bemoaned. "She got mad 'cause Chiyo-chan kept beating 'er in cuteness and neither one of 'em could look cool, so she challenged us all to wear stuff that we normally wouldn't. Tomo-chan told me that ah should try an' dress like a boy since ah usually wear skirts and dresses."

Before Kaorin had a chance to comment any further, another curtain was flung open as Tomo jumped out. "Ta-da!" she shouted as she twirled to show off her outfit.

"Gothic Lolita? Seriously?" Kaorin dryly commented on Tomo's outfit, which entailed a somewhat frilly, black dress that was knee-length and sleeveless. The look was accented with matching black arm warmers and stockings. "This place really does have everything."

"Eh?" Tomo asked as she turned her head. "It's not just gothic?" she asked as she looked herself over, completely oblivious. "It doesn't matter," she dismissed without a thought as she spun again. "Isn't it the perfect combination of cute and cool?"

Kaorin and Osaka both shook their heads. "I-it's supposed to just be cute… I think," Kaorin muttered. "But you don't look cute… and you're still wearing your normal shoes. It clashes."

Tomo adopted an angry look as she pointed to Osaka. "So is she!"

Kaorin glanced as Osaka's feet before turning back to Tomo. "It doesn't clash," she countered.

"Um… do mine clash?" Chiyo asked as she exited yet another fitting room wearing a tan, women's business suit.

"A… little," Kaorin choked out as she and the other two stared slack jawed at the girl. Despite being only eleven years old, Chiyo managed to wear the suit quite well.

"Ya'll look like a real adult," Osaka praised.

Tomo quickly dashed next to Chiyo. "So, who's cuter now?" she inquired, fully confident in her victory.

While Kaorin hesitated, Osaka pointed to the cat-girl. "She is."

"That's no fair!" Tomo shouted as she pointed to Kaorin. "Go change into something that isn't cute!"

"Is that your reasoning for all this? So you could be the cutest?" Yomi asked as she appeared on the scene wearing a mild yellow sundress with blue and green floral patterns appearing to rise from the hem.

Tomo innocently shrugged. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she claimed as she shook her head, garnering a rise in the bespectacled girl.

Of course, there was still one person who had yet to show up, and it just so happened that it was the one that Kaorin wished to see the most. "What is Sakaki-san wearing, then?" she eagerly asked with a bit of hopefulness in her tone.

"That," Tomo claimed as she pointed behind Kaorin. "Looking good, Sakaki-chan!" she praised with a thumbs up.

Kaorin whirled around with dizzying speed to find Sakaki standing just behind her. The tall girl was clearly dressed for 'cool'. Sakaki was wearing leather pants with a matching low-cut neckline crop top complete with a red leather jacket that was cropped to allow her midriff to be seen from any angle. Or at least it would, if not for her exceptionally long hair. "Sakaki-san!" Kaorin blurted out in a dreamy voice as all other words failed her completely.

"At least none of us ended up looking as dumb as Tomo-chan," Yomi noted as she took a look around at everyone. "Sakaki-chan and Chiyo-chan actually look good."

The girls in question blushed at the compliment. "Do you really think so?" Chiyo asked with an expectant smile.

"You would probably look decent in just about anything," Yomi pointed out with a bit of envy echoing in her voice. "Even though I've lost two kilos, I'm nowhere near you. I wish I could find a diet that could get me really thin like that." To prove her point, Yomi stood next to Chiyo to emphasize the difference. Even though they were close to the same height, Chiyo seemed to be half Yomi's size. "It's not fair."

"Now who's the one that's jealous of an eleven-year-old?" Tomo taunted.

Instead of giving Tomo the gratification of another fight, Yomi just stormed back towards the dressing room she had been using. "I'm changing out of this crap," she spat as she disappeared from view.

"Ah'm gonna change too," Osaka agreed as she headed back toward her own booth.

Following the general trend, Chiyo and Tomo also turned to leave, although the former didn't make it two steps before falling flat on her face. "Ahaha!" Tomo taunted as she pointed at Chiyo instead of helping her up. "You might look grown up, but you'll be totally screwed if you ever have to wear heels!"

Despite the noise and commotion, Kaorin and Sakaki didn't notice a thing as they just stared at one another, completely transfixed. After several seconds of universally unnoticed silence, Sakaki finally spoke up. "It's really cute on you," she complimented.

While Kaorin's euphoria was only elated by the praise, she was also bewildered. "Wh-what does?" the cat-girl asked having completely forgotten about the trinket dangling from her neck.

"The bell."

"Oh!" Kaorin exclaimed as she absentmindedly grasped the object. "Thanks, you look… incredible," she did her best to reciprocate the praise. "Sakaki-san always looks the best in cool outfits."

Even though Sakaki didn't much care for yet another reminder that she wasn't at all cute, hearing any sort of praise from the cat-girl made her heart race. "Th-thank you," she choked out as she began to blush. With her heart beating in her ears and her chest becoming ever tighter with each moment, Sakaki could sense her mask falling way to her runaway emotions. Feeling a need to flee, Sakaki offered up the only excuse that came to mind. "I'm… going to go change," she announced as she turned on her heel and rushed toward the dressing room that she had been using.

As Sakaki entered the booth, she found her reflection to be a mess. She found her entire face to be red and could visibly see her shoulders rise and fall with each exaggerated breath. All Kaorin did was compliment her, and Sakaki completely lost control of her emotions. It didn't seem to make even one bit of sense. After all, Sakaki had been praised a thousand ways by a multitude of different people in the last month alone and it never before elicited any emotion aside from exasperation. In fact, she was pretty sure that she had heard that very same line a dozen times before.

The tall girl finally had the presence of mind to start changing back into her normal clothes once she had calmed down. _This might be… hard,_ she realized as she found the reason for her overstimulation could only be caused by her attraction to the cat-girl. Sakaki kicked herself for not being able to reign in her emotions like she normally could. It was as if she had lost all control all at once just by looking at the fuzzy-eared girl. While she truly did not want to avoid Kaorin, it seemed as though she'd surely make a fool of herself if she didn't.

Kaorin, meanwhile, had been fretting over her idol's abrupt departure. At first she thought she had said something to offend Sakaki about what she was wearing, but then she recalled that Sakaki apparently hadn't been feeling well earlier. However, knowing what was wrong and being able to do something about it were two different things. She wanted to be able to comfort Sakaki, but the fear of being a nuisance to the tall girl kept Kaorin from doing anything aside from just standing there like an idiot.

"You all right?" Yomi asked as she found Kaorin staring off into space not unlike Osaka.

Kaorin jumped a little at the sound of Yomi's voice. After turning the wrong way, she found Yomi wearing her street clothes with an outfit in hand. "Sorry, I was just thinking," she explained. "Sakaki-san seems a little off. I thought maybe she was feeling bad."

Yomi sighed at the news. "I told her earlier that she didn't have to force herself," she muttered as she approached the row of dressing rooms. "Sakaki-chan, it's going to only make things worse if you keep pushing yourself," Yomi loudly announced, unsure of which one Sakaki was in. "If you're not feeling well, you really need to take it easy."

Sakaki couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at hearing Yomi's words. Because she didn't refute it right away, everyone now mistakenly thinks that she isn't doing well. This time her shyness might have paid off, however, since it now offered her a good opportunity to avoid looking like a fool. "All right," she responded to Yomi's advice. A few moments later, she finished getting redressed and emerged from the fitting room. "Maybe… I should go home," she uncomfortably lied as she caught a glance of Kaorin and felt her body start to warm up. She wanted to spend time with Kaorin and her friends, but this was just all too much at once.

"You'll be all right by yourself?" Yomi asked with genuine concern.

Sakaki nodded as she set her sights on the exit. "I'll be fine."

"I-I hope you feel better!" Kaorin cheered as Sakaki walked by.

The tall girl was glad that her back was to everyone as she felt her cheeks heat up. As much as she wanted to stay with the cat-girl, Sakaki's fears won out and compelled her to keep retreating. "Thanks," she managed to mutter, though she kept her back to Kaorin and Yomi. She wasn't even sure if Kaorin had been able to hear her.

Kaorin deflated as she watched Sakaki go. Even though this trip was supposed to be for Chiyo's benefit, it seemed to the cat-girl that whole thing was ruined by the tall girl's departure.

"You look like your puppy just died!" Tomo annoyingly observed as she drew her curtain and stepped out to join Kaorin and Yomi.

"Sakaki-san went home," Kaorin sadly noted.

"She wasn't feeling well," Yomi added.

Tomo actually smiled at the prospect. "That means I could be the coolest-looking one here!" she realized as she dashed off to find another cool outfit.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Kaorin grumbled.

"Lots of things," Yomi replied. "Lots and lots of things."

* * *

As Sakaki left the store and headed towards the train station, she had a hard time fighting against her emotions. The cocktail of fear, joy, anxiousness, and bewilderment left the tall girl more confused than she could ever remember being. Her thoughts raced faster than her heart, and they all led to questions that she didn't have any answers to. To make matters worse, there wasn't anyone that could even help her answer any of them. The only people that she had to confide in were her parents and Naomi, and talking to any of them about this particular matter was completely and utterly impossible. _I have to talk to someone,_ she desperately thought. _…but who?  
_


	21. Discord

As noon began to roll around, Sakaki sighed as she stared out her bedroom window at the drizzling rain. In the end the tall girl spent most of the night ruminating on her dilemma. No matter how much she tried to refute her feelings, she couldn't deny it any longer. Sakaki definitely had feelings for the cat-girl that were greater than those of friendship or the normal attraction that she had for anything cute and fuzzy. "What am I going to do?" Sakaki mumbled aloud as she watched the raindrops splatter onto the window. While she yearned to see Kaorin again, even just thinking about her made Sakaki's heart race and stomach churn. There was no way she could maintain her composure around the furry-eared girl, so maybe it was a good thing after all that Sakaki wouldn't get to see Kaorin for nearly a week. _It's no use!_ Sakaki conceded at that thought as she staggered over to her bed and flopped face down onto the mattress. _I want to see her now!_ She thought as she lay motionlessly in the awkward position.

This merry-go-round of disjointed and conflicting thoughts and emotions was clearly going nowhere. "I _need _to talk to someone," she mumbled into the mattress. The only problem with that was the lingering dilemma of just who she could talk to about something like this. Without giving it any thought, Sakaki could easily eliminate most anyone she could talk to. In the end she always narrowed it down to two dismal choices: Kagura and Yomi. Those were the only two people that she could think of to talk to, and even then it still seemed like quite the bad idea. After all, both of them were liable to judge her, and neither of them had any experience in matters of the heart. When it came to love, her whole clique was just as in the dark as Sakaki. The only person that Sakaki could think of that had any experience with adult relationships was… "That's it!" Sakaki exclaimed as she suddenly realized how simple the solution to her problem was. With a newfound drive, Sakaki jumped up and darted out of her room with a destination in mind.

* * *

As promised, Kagura had shown up at Kaorin's house to have the cat-girl aid her in finding a date. Unfortunately, it would seem that Kaorin had underestimated the task at hand as she stood dumbfounded at the substantial pile of letters cluttered on her bed. "In just one week, you got all of these?" she blurted out as she turned to Kagura.

"Not really," Kagura replied as she scratched the back of her head. "When I got more than one letter from the same person I threw it out. And I also threw away all the anonymous letters, all the ones that asked me to meet someone somewhere, the ones that didn't seem like love letters, the ones from guys I know I don't like, all the letters from people that don't go to our school…"

"I-I think I get the picture," Kaorin interrupted Kagura. "That just makes it even more amazing."

"I left out all the ones from girls, too," the tomboy asserted.

Kaorin sighed as she stared at the daunting task in front of her. "This is going to take a while."

"Where's Chihiro?" Kagura asked as Kaorin hesitantly picked one of the letters up. "I thought she was gonna help too?"

Kaorin shook her head. "She said that she didn't want to."

"So… how're we gonna go about doing this?" Kagura asked as she pointed to the pile of notes.

"I guess… I should start by sorting these into guys I know something about and guys I don't know. Maybe you could pick out the ones that you liked the best?" she suggested as she started picking up letters and reading the names listed.

"They all kinda seem the same to me," Kagura mumbled as she absentmindedly picked one up.

Kaorin couldn't help but to feel another pang of guilt as she caught sight of Kagura's bandaged hand. "Y-you really don't think that any of these stand out at all?"

"Well, there is one that's different from all of the rest, but I didn't bring it," Kagura admitted.

"Why not?" Kaorin queried as she started going through the letters, taking note of the names, and dropping them into two different piles. "It seems like that would be the best place to start."

"It's not signed," Kagura explained. "I was actually pretty tempted to throw it out like the rest, but since it was different I decided to keep it."

Kaorin paused as she thought a moment. "Is that really a problem?" she wondered aloud.

"Of course it is! If it isn't signed, how am I supposed to know who left it?" Kagura argued.

"Over half of the entire school is falling at your feet," the cat-girl pointed out with just a hint of envy. "I'm pretty sure all you've got to do is ask your fans and they'll be head over feet trying to figure out where it came from. Not to mention that whoever left it would probably come forward."

Kagura sighed. "Doesn't that seem kind of… manipulative?" she asked rhetorically.

"It'll probably get results, though," Kaorin stated.

"Maybe," Kagura relented with another sigh. "This whole situation kinda makes me uncomfortable, though."

"S-so what kind of guy are you hoping to find, anyway?" Kaorin quickly changed the subject.

Kagura crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she thought for a moment. She then shook her head with a grunt. "I dunno," she admitted. "That's kind of why I'm here."

"You don't have any preferences at all?" Kaorin skeptically asked as she stared at Kagura. "Like a guy that's smart, or athletic, or cool or something like that?"

Kagura shrugged at the suggestion. "I guess I'd probably have the most in common with someone who is good at sports, but anything is fine."

"You're not really making this easy for me," Kaorin groaned.

* * *

"This is it," Sakaki mumbled as she looked at the nameplate. Summoning her courage, the tall girl reached out and pressed the doorbell. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a familiar face. "H-hello, Kurosawa-sensei," Sakaki greeted.

"Eh? Sakaki-san?" Nyamo mumbled with confusion clearly written on her face.

"Um…" Sakaki faltered as all the organized thoughts she had just a moment ago evaporated. "That is, I was hoping that I could… speak with you."

Although Nyamo had often been asked for advice by her students, she honestly couldn't say that she'd ever had a student approach her at her apartment before. Not knowing what else to do, she stepped aside to make room for Sakaki to enter. "Do you want to come in?" After inviting Sakaki in and offering the tall girl a drink, she ended up sitting across a low table from her in complete silence. As the awkward quiet grew to uncomfortable and even intolerable levels, Nyamo felt the need to speak up. "S-so how is your leg?"

"It's healing quickly," Sakaki responded. "I hope it will be better in time for the sports festival."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Nyamo advised. "The sports fest is just for fun, so it's not worth hurting yourself over."

"Right," Sakaki thoughtlessly replied.

Nyamo sighed at Sakaki's reluctance. It was clear that the tall girl didn't come just for small talk, and yet she continued to remain silent about what was really bothering her. While it might have been a bit rude, Nyamo was left with little other choice than to try to coax Sakaki into saying what was on her mind. "I get the feeling that you didn't come here to talk about gym class," she suggested, hoping to nudge Sakaki into talking without seeming too pushy.

Sakaki's gaze immediately fell away from her teacher. "How-how do you stop loving someone?" she tactlessly blurted out.

Nyamo blinked a couple of times as she tried to process that information. Although she'd been asked for relationship advice before, this was one proposal that she'd never encountered before. After putting the pieces of the puzzle together with her own assumptions Nyamo managed to come to a conclusion. "So you confessed and got turned down, huh?" she asked a bit hesitantly. After all, it was a bit of a farfetched idea considering how popular the tall girl was. "That must be rough."

"I-I haven't said anything to anyone," Sakaki admitted as she dodged eye contact.

"Eh?" Nyamo blurted out her confusion. "You mean… you want to give up and you haven't even tried at all?"

Sakaki nodded after a moment's hesitation. "That's right."

The gym teacher crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she leaned back and sighed trying to make sense of the tall girl's words. After racking her mind for a moment, Nyamo gave up on figuring it out. "Is it… someone that's already spoken for?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Sakaki refuted as she began to question why she had come here in the first place. "It's just… impossible. That's why I have to do something myself," she elaborated. "I was hoping you would know something since you have… experience."

Nyamo couldn't help but to be a bit put off by Sakaki's last sentence. "I know I haven't had a lot of luck with guys lately," she muttered as she slumped forward and rested her elbow on the table with her hand propping up her head, "but that doesn't make me some sort of expert in being dumped."

"Ah, no," Sakaki tried to correct herself. "I just mean that you know more about a person's true feelings than anyone else I know. I think we all learned a lot about… love from you."

Nyamo's face immediately flushed red as her drunken speech at the beach came back to bite her again. She tried to cover her face with her hands in a feeble attempt to hide her shame. "L-look, Sakaki-san, I'm still a little lost here. Why exactly do you want to give up instead of trying to pursue your feelings?" the teacher asked as she tried to get herself out of this rather dismal situation. "It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense."

"It's just that the person I like is my friend," Sakaki explained. "If I confessed then she might grow to hate me. I would rather us just stay friends than to risk throwing it all away."

Once again, Nyamo found herself completely stupefied. "Sh-she?"

Sakaki blushed as she hung her head. _Idiot!_ she berated herself for such a foolish slip of the tongue. Having no room to deny it, Sakaki had little other option than to be honest. "Th-that's right. Because of that she will think that I'm disgusting… everyone might," she admitted. "I wouldn't be able to endure… something like that."

"I guess… that does make things a bit more complicated," Nyamo allowed. "I had no idea that you were… like that."

"I-I'm not," Sakaki quickly denied. "It's just Ka-I mean, it's only her."

As soon as Sakaki made her slip, Nyamo's brain went to work trying to figure out the mystery. It took all of two seconds for her to jump to a conclusion. _Sakaki-san has joined the Kagura fan club!_ Nyamo mistakenly thought. "W-well I suppose that explains a lot," she mumbled as she dismissed Sakaki's feelings as mere admiration.

"What can I do?" Sakaki reminded Nyamo of her plight.

Nyamo closed her eyes as she tried to figure out just what would be the best advice for the tall girl. "As cruel as it sounds the best way to get over someone is to have all of your hopes and dreams stripped away," she realized as she opened her eyes to spy Sakaki flinch at the statement. "The sooner that happens, the less painful it would be. Although it seems like you don't want to confess at all."

"There… has to be another way," Sakaki pleaded.

"A confession would probably be the best," Nyamo argued. "Best case scenario, however unlikely that is, would put you two… together, and in the worst case you just get turned down and that would really help you to move along."

Sakaki shook her head. "It could be worse," she claimed. "Ka- she might come to hate me, and if she told anyone… everyone would… dislike me…" the tall girl trailed off.

Nyamo sighed. "I really don't think she would hate you for it, and I'm sure she wouldn't humiliate you like that, either," the teacher assured Sakaki. "But if you really don't have the courage, then I guess you could deal with your feelings in another way."

"How?" Sakaki immediately and enthusiastically asked.

"Redirection is usually a good strategy," Nyamo suggested. "Maybe you should try going out with someone else. A new love is usually a pretty good way to forget about a bad breakup or an unrequited love, even if it is nothing more than a distraction."

Although it definitely sounded like a decent idea, Sakaki wasn't sure if she had the gall to go through with something like that. On the other hand, it wasn't like she had a lot of other options, either. "I'll… consider it," she reluctantly relented. "Is there anything else at all?"

Sighing once more, Nyamo pointed back towards her bedroom. "I know you seem to think I have a lot of good relationship advice, but in case you haven't noticed, I still go to bed alone," she explained. "I really think you should talk to someone else about this. I know it's probably really awkward, but maybe you should just speak with your parents about it. I'm sure they'll underst-"

"No," Sakaki quickly and firmly asserted. "O-Okaa-san doesn't even want me to be friends with her. Okaa-san really seems to… dislike her."

Nyamo gave Sakaki a puzzled look as she tried to imagine anyone who could find enough fault with her star swim girl to hate her. It seemed nothing short of impossible especially with Kagura's profound and bizarre popularity. "Well, there are other people you could talk to," she suggested after a few moments of thought. "The school counselor, maybe?"

Sakaki hung her head as she realized that her P.E. teacher really didn't have any of the answers she was looking for. "All right," she relented as she slowly rose to her feet. "Sorry to have bothered you."

The tall girl's sudden desire to leave caught Nyamo a bit off guard. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help," she apologized as she too climbed to her feet. "I really think you should consider telling… her your true feelings, though." Sakaki didn't reply with anything other than a sigh as she trotted over to the door and replaced her shoes before exiting the residence. Nyamo couldn't help but to groan as she sat back down. "What am I supposed to do now?"

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Kagura complained as she gazed around an office in complete disarray. "We didn't even get through half of those letters."

"I told you before that Kei said to come in. That it was urgent," Kaorin reminded the tomboy as she marveled at how disgusting Kei's office was. "By the way, you probably shouldn't touch anything in here."

"No kidding," Kagura mumbled as she shuffled about in place, a little too bothered by the environment to take a seat in a chair. "But why did I have to come with you?"

"Kei said to bring you," Kaorin asserted. "I hope he's figured something out."

Kagura growled to show her discontent. "I don't even know the guy! What does this have to do with me?"

"I'm pretty sure that Kei thinks that all the weird stuff that's been happening is connected," the cat-girl claimed. "I kind of think that, too. There's no way it can all be a coincidence."

"But none of it is similar," Kagura argued. "Chiyo-chan grew up, I got popular, and you got… uh… mutated."

Kaorin visibly deflated at the comment. "Please don't put it that way," she meekly replied.

"S-sorry," Kagura apologized. "So where is this Kei guy, anyway?" she deftly changed the subject. "If it's something urgent, shouldn't he have been here waiting for us?"

"It's really strange that he isn't here," the cat-girl admitted as she looked about. "Usually Kei drops anything and everything if it gives him the excuse to pester me." Realizing that standing around wasn't going to get them very far Kaorin poked her head out of the office and quickly spotted a passing nurse. "Excuse me," she interrupted the nurse only to receive an irritated stare. "I'm one of Kei's patients and I was wondering-"

"Oh you poor thing!" the nurse interrupted as she suddenly adopted a sympathetic look. "Now you're going to want to talk to Saeki-san. To get to her office, you'll need to take that elevator up two floors," she explained as she pointed down the hall. "Then take a left and go to the end of the hall, and her office is the third door on the right."

Kaorin sighed at the response. "Actually, I have Saeki-san's personal number," she explained as she held up her cell phone. "I was just wondering where Kei was."

The nurse nodded in understanding. "I'm pretty sure he's in the MRI room," she informed the cat-girl. "You can easily avoid him by just taking the elevator down to the lobby."

"Uh… thanks," Kaorin said as she bowed.

As the nurse started off to do whatever it that she was doing in the first place, Kagura finally exited Kei's office and approached Kaorin. "What the hell was that?" she wondered out loud. "Is this Kei guy really okay?"

Kaorin shook her head a bit. "He's totally intolerable," she admitted. "But he seems to be the only one with any hopes of curing me."

"Is all of this really worth it?" Kagura seriously inquired. "I mean, is getting a tail and fuzzy ears really all that bad?"

The cat-girl took pause at Kagura's comment. "I just… want to be me again, you know?" she finally muttered after a couple of seconds. "Not to mention that whole catnip thing. That's got to stop."

"Agreed," Kagura affirmed as she took a look at her bandaged hand.

"S-sorry again," Kaorin apologized as she caught Kagura looking at her hand.

"It's not really your fault," Kagura claimed, eager to dismiss the bad memories associated with the event. "Anyways, where is this Kei guy?"

Kaorin pointed in the same direction as what the nurse had indicated. "I guess we have to and find where the MRI room is."

A couple of hallways later, the duo found a door with several warnings posted on it. "Kind of scary, isn't it?" Kagura suggested as she skimmed over the signs. "Should we leave our cell phones here?"

Before the girls could decide on a course of action, the door swung open to reveal an unexpected face. "Yomi-chan!" Kaorin blurted out.

"Ah, Kei-san said that you would show up," Yomi greeted before turning her gaze to Kagura. "But why is Kagura here?"

"What's going on?" Kaorin wondered aloud. "Why are you here?"

Yomi sighed as she adjusted her glasses. "You're the one that said Kei-san was okay, and since he said to show up if anything strange happened I thought that I'd come in. You lied to me," she accused.

"I know," Kaorin unabashedly admitted. "But why are you here? It doesn't look like anything has happened to you."

"I can't taste anything," Yomi bluntly informed the duo as she stepped back to let them in. "Kei-san hasn't been much help at all. He just keeps ignoring me and ogling Osaka." As Kaorin and Kagura entered, Yomi pointed them in the direction of the observation area. "Kei-san's over there."

While Kagura obediently headed towards Kei, Kaorin found Yomi's offhand remarks to be more than a little alarming. "You can't taste anything? A-and Osaka is here? What the hell is going on?"

"The hell? _That's_ Osaka!" Kagura's voice rang out.

Suddenly forgetting about Yomi, Kaorin rushed next to Kagura only to spy a rather voluptuous-looking Osaka standing in a hospital gown next to the MRI machine. Amazingly, the once flat-chested girl had managed to somehow acquire curves that could even give Sakaki a run for her money. "I-I… ah…" the cat-girl incoherently stammered as she traced an outline of an hourglass with her hands. "How!"

"The same way you became a cat-girl, I'm assuming," Kei replied before speaking into a microphone. "All right, Ayumu-chan. Feel free to get redressed and come back in," he informed Osaka before turning back to the incredulous duo with a beaming smile. "Hopefully you two can help me shed some light on this situation."

"Wh-What? How?" Kagura hesitated as she feebly shied away from Kei's stare.

"Let's go to my office," Kei suggested before moving to the microphone and informing Osaka that they were headed there. "Hopefully Chiyo-suke will show up soon, too."

* * *

Sakaki, meanwhile, had been wondering around lost in thought until she ended up in a familiar place, although it didn't look anything like she had remembered. The tall girl stared at the empty lot where the abandoned house once sat feeling a bit forlorn. Not only was she concerned about where all those cats had gone, but it was as if that precious memory that she shared with Kaorin had been tarnished as well. Sakaki couldn't help but to sigh at the depressing sight.

"Not thinking about committing more crimes, are you?" a masculine voice interrupted Sakaki's melancholy.

The tall girl nearly jumped at the unexpected question as she turned to find a police officer in uniform offering her a smile. "I-ah… no," Sakaki struggled to respond.

"How is your leg?" the policeman inquired.

It was only then that Sakaki finally recognized him as the person that had helped her get to her doctor's office on that day. "It's doing better," she claimed as she bowed. "Thank you, for before."

"You can thank me by staying out of trouble," Taro suggested as he walked up next to Sakaki and followed her gaze to the empty lot. "I sure hope you didn't leave something important in there."

Sakaki absentmindedly shook her head. "We got all of the cats out before…" she started only to realize that she had never told Taro about being in there. "H-how did you…?"

It was Taro's turn to be surprised as he remembered that it was the cat-girl that he got all of the information from. "Sorry, it was your friend that told me what happened, more or less," he explained as he tried his best to remember. "The girl with the cat-ears… I don't think I caught her name."

"Kaorin!" Sakaki answered a little too quickly.

Taro just smiled as he rubbed the back of his head. "It doesn't ring a bell," he admitted. "Like I said, I don't think she told me her name. But how many girls with real cat-ears can there be?"

"It was Kaorin," Sakaki confidently claimed.

"Is that so?" Taro replied with a friendly smile. "Anyhow, I think that I should probably get back to my rounds," he excused himself as he turned to leave. "Stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Wait!" Sakaki suddenly urged, causing the officer to hesitate and turn around.

"What is it?"

Sakaki hesitated for a split second before blurting out the only thing on her mind. "Do-do you know anything about love?"

"Eh?" the officer stammered as he was taken aback by the sudden, seemingly random question.

The tall girl couldn't help but to blush a bit in embarrassment at Taro's reaction. "I just… need to know how to stop loving someone. The advice I already got… didn't help."

"So it's something like that, huh?" Taro asked rhetorically as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess that explains why you looked so forlorn. Honestly, I can't say I know a whole lot about love, but I do know a thing or two about unrequited love and how painful that can be," he claimed, assuming that was the situation was Sakaki was in.

"What should I do?" she bluntly asked.

"Well, if there's hope in the future for you, then you should just be a good friend to him and poise yourself to self to slip into a relationship when the opportunity presents itself. No sense in giving up if there is hope," Taro advised. "If there really is no hope, though, then you should find something to hate. I know from experience that just admiring someone from a distance only makes things worse. Try to get close to them and find every little imperfection and fault so you can find a way to move on. That or get into another relationship. Doesn't matter if you really love them or not; it's a good distraction and a good outlet for your feelings."

"I… see," Sakaki replied, dissatisfied at how similar the advice was.

"Sorry I couldn't be of more help," Taro apologized as he easily picked up on Sakaki's disappointment. "But I really can't spare any more time," he excused himself as he turned away again. "Take care of yourself."

Sakaki sighed as she again turned her gaze to the empty lot. She couldn't imagine ever coming to hate the cat-girl, and the thought of dating some random person didn't set well with her at all. _Is there hope?_ she wondered as she thought back on Taro's words.

* * *

Meanwhile in Kei's office, the quirky doctor had Kagura standing next to Osaka. "You both have wonderful curves, although it looks like Ayumu-chan is just a little bigger than Kagura-chan."

"I didn't come here to compare breasts with Osaka!" Kagura angrily retorted as she blushed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why _are_ we here?" Kaorin demanded from her position next to a rather irate looking Yomi. "You said it was urgent and to bring Kagura, but all you've been doing is goofing off, as usual."

"Ah, that," Kei allowed as he pried his eyes off of the curvy duo. He then moved to his desk and carelessly removed the clutter by sweeping his arms across the surface and dumping everything into the floor. "Gather around!" he loudly announced as he produced a rolled up sheet of paper and spread it out across the desk.

The girls reluctantly complied and cautiously approached the desk. "A map?" Kagura observed.

"It's our neighborhood," Yomi deftly identified.

Kei smiled as he held up various colored markers. "To figure out this mystery, I have to find the source!" he announced. "I want all of you to take a color and trace out where you went twenty-four hours before your dramatic changes. The places where they all intersect are a good place to look to find the cause of all of this."

The girls all looked to one another before accepting a marker from Kei. "It was a week ago for me," Kaorin lamented as she tried to find where her house would be. "It's kind of hard to remember."

"I'm not even sure when I became popular," Kagura complained as she scratched her head with the back of the marker.

"Just try your best," Kei encouraged as he twirled the last marker between his fingers. "This is just to narrow down the search."

"Aren't you going to hand that over?" Yomi demanded with her hand outstretched.

Kei just blinked a couple of times as he gave Yomi a puzzled look. "This one is for Chiyo-suke whenever I can get her to come by. Your ailment is just a run of the mill kind of thing. Nothing special. Though I'm not one hundred percent sure Kagura's fame is totally related to the situation, either."

"Then why am I here?" Yomi argued as she grit her teeth.

"I've already reserved the MRI for…" Kei started as he took a moment to check his watch. "about 20 minutes from now. While complete loss of taste might be a documented phenomenon, a lot of its causes are far from benign," he informed the brunette as he intently watched the trails behind the markers grow. "And if we rule out absolutely every possible cause, then we might have you come and draw a path, too."

Yomi paled a little at Kei's words. "What do you mean, 'far from benign'?"

"From what I can tell, you haven't had any surgeries or severe head trauma recently," Kei recounted. "And you say that you have completely and absolutely lost the ability to taste. That narrows the possible underlying causes to a few possible culprits, and not a whole lot of them are too forgiving."

"L-like what?" Yomi hesitantly asked.

"The first thing I'd like to rule out would be a brain lesion or tumor," Kei calmly replied.

"What?" the entire room screamed in response with the exception of Yomi who was suddenly finding it very difficult to breathe.

It took a few moments for Yomi to let Kei's response to fully sink in. "Y-you… you think I have c-cancer?" she choked out as she struggled to stay standing on her now wobbling legs.

"Well, that all depends on how honest you're being with me," Kei elaborated as he cast a scrutinizing stare at Yomi. "Normally a person complains of reduced, altered, or persistent taste. Not complete and total loss."

"B-but I really did lose my taste," Yomi stammered. "I really can't taste anything!"

"Can you smell anything?" Kei somberly asked as he kept his eyes fixed on Yomi. "A lot of the sense of taste is actually based on smell."

The bespectacled girl thought back to breakfast and felt a bit panicky as she realized that she didn't smell a thing at breakfast. "I-even though I cooked this morning I didn't… smell anything."

"Wait," Osaka interrupted, "didn' y'all complain how tha hospital smelled like disinfectant earlier?"

Yomi had never been happier to be wrong. "That's right!" she exclaimed. "That means it can't be cancer or anything, right?"

While Kei never spotted any behavior that would leave him to believe that Yomi was lying, the complete reversal of her claims was quite confounding. "So you couldn't smell food, but you could smell that awful stench that permeates this place. Interesting."

"It means I'll be okay, right?" Yomi practically begged for a claim, valid or not, that her symptoms weren't cause for alarm.

"You cuties go ahead and finish the map," Kei instructed as he got up. "And have Chiyo-suke do it, too, if and when she shows up." Kei then motioned for Yomi to follow him as he headed out of his office. "I can't rule anything out until after the MRI," he informed Yomi as soon as the duo was alone, "but I can say that things have certainly turned to your favor. We don't have much time before we're due for your MRI, so let's hurry up and get that formality out of the way so we can focus on more interesting things."

Yomi was more than a little overwhelmed as she numbly followed the doctor. "O-okay."

* * *

"What should I do?" Sakaki fretted as she pondered the dissonance in the advice she had received. The tall girl was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to recognize that Naomi's car was in the driveway or that the door that she had locked herself earlier was open. So Sakaki was caught by surprise when she quite literally bumped into Naomi. Ever keeping her cool, Sakaki managed to choke out an apology instead of a surprised yelp.

Naomi didn't seem to take notice of Sakaki's apology at all. "You seem pretty out of it," she observed as she easily picked up on Sakaki's muddled mood. "Something wrong?"

"I didn't notice that you were here," Sakaki continued her apology in a feeble and transparent attempt to change the subject.

"Your mother needed me to fax some papers to her office," Naomi explained her presence as she carefully watched Sakaki's actions. "So what's bothering you?"

"It's… complicated," Sakaki claimed.

Having expected a response similar to that, Naomi couldn't help but to let a small smile touch her lips. "I'm good at complicated. That's part of the reason your mother relies on me." Unfortunately, Sakaki just stayed silent as she lowered her head to the floor. After several seconds Naomi sighed as she realized that she wasn't likely to coax anything out of the girl so easily. "I only want to help you," she earnestly informed her employer's daughter. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'll listen."

As Naomi started towards the house's small home office, Sakaki managed to find her courage. "Do you… promise not to tell Okaa-san?"

While Naomi was glad that the tall girl finally decided to open up a little, Sakaki's statement certainly didn't bode well. "You have my word," Naomi assured with a flawless forced smile before looking to her watch. "It's about lunch time. Why don't you let me fax these documents then we can go grab a bite and talk?"

Sakaki nodded in response. "S-sure."

* * *

"Judging from that stupid smile on your face I'm guessing that it's bad news," the MRI technician commented as he watched Kei intently staring at the monitor. "The last time I saw you grin like that some poor soul had a parasite in their brain."

"I think this will prove to be even more interesting than that," Kei remarked as he kept his eyes plastered on the screen.

"Th-that bad?" the technician asked.

Ignoring the chattering nuisance, Kei broke away from the monitor as he motioned for the MRI tech to shut down the machine. "You're done, Koyomi-chan," he announced as he activated the intercom. "There wasn't anything abnormal on your scan."

"So there isn't anything wrong?" Yomi asked, hopeful for some happy news.

"Of course there is something wrong. That's why you came here in the first place, isn't it?" Kei asked rhetorically. "All this tells us that there aren't any abnormal structures in your head or neck. Go get dressed. We'll have to work harder to flush out the culprit."

As soon as she got redressed, Yomi found Kei waiting for her. "So, you can rule out cancer, right?"

"Not at all," Kei denied with a shake of his head. "We ruled out a tumor or other abnormality in your brain as a cause of your loss of taste."

"Which removes cancer as a possibility," Yomi pressed, praying that she could somehow influence him to agree with her.

Kei shrugged. "Sure," he allowed. "Definitely not caused by an abnormality in the brain, so it's unlikely to be cancer. We can focus on the occult as soon as we work out neuropathy, psychological disorders, factitious disorders, nerve damage, certain pathways being interfered with-"

"What the hell?" Yomi interrupted the seemingly endless rant. "I don't want to wait ten years for you just to figure out what's wrong!"

Kei gave Yomi a puzzled look. "I'm talking about ruling things out, not diagnosing anything," he clarified. "After we rule everything out we'll be halfway to a diagnosis, though. Since we'll have to do a full blood workup, genetics testing, a PET scan, a full body scan, a dozen biopsies or so-"

"I'm not here to be your guinea pig!" Yomi snapped. "I just want answers!"

"The journey is half the fun," Kei claimed with a flawless smile. "Besides, don't you want me to try and fix your little problem, Koyomi-chan?"

Yomi audibly growled as she sent Kei a fierce glare. "You're just grasping at straws," she accused. "You couldn't help Kaorin and you can't help me!"

Kei's smile warped into a rare frown at Yomi's criticism. "Grasping at straws is better than just giving up," he seriously announced as he stopped in his tracks and changed direction. "I'm going to try and help Kaori-chan and the rest. At least they haven't abandoned hope."

"Fine!" Yomi shouted back at Kei. "I'll just go to my own doctor. Not some kid fresh out of college who thinks he knows everything."

"Small-minded cynic," Kei muttered as he parted ways with Yomi. By the time the prodigy doctor got back to his office he had already shrugged off his disappointment and resentment over Yomi's refusal. Unfortunately he found a new disappointment when he entered his office to find only Osaka there. "Where did everyone go?" Kei inquired as he made a beeline for the map on his desk.

Kaorin an' Kagura-chan said that they had stuff ta do so they left as soon as they finished with tha map," Osaka informed Kei.

Kei's chagrin over the two girl's leaving was overshadowed by the dismal results of the map. "This… doesn't look good.

"There's somethin' wrong with it?" Osaka asked as she moved beside Kei to look at the map.

Kei nodded as he pointed. "There's only one place where all the lines meet. That means that whatever is causing this is likely there."

"Well ain't that a good thing?" Osaka asked.

"In this case, no," Kei explained. "The lines intersect at your school, which means all sorts of trouble."

"How so?"

"First and foremost it means that whatever is causing this is at your school and that I'll have to go there to find it," Kei reasoned.

Osaka blinked a couple of times as the gears in her head turned to no avail. "How's that a bad thing?"

Kei sighed as his posture drooped. "Keiko-chan's there."

"Ah, that's tha girl that tried ta kill ya, ain't it? She really seems ta hate y'all," Osaka realled.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kei scoffed. "That's my little sister, so of course she loves me. Keiko-chan is just a little violent, that's all."

"Sure looked like hate ta me. Like a vendetta," Osaka asserted.

Kei cleared his throat before doing his best to change the subject. "More importantly, we're going to have to uncover the cause of this quickly. If it's at your school then hundreds could be at risk of …" he trailed off as his gaze slowly moved to Osaka's now ample chest. "You know, maybe it's not that urgent, but we should try to figure it out anyway."

"Oh! Ah almost forgot," Osaka exclaimed, having heard almost none of what Kei had just said. "Ah almost forgot ta ask ya about Yomi-chan. Everyone's worried about her."

"She seems like a really bitter wet-blanket," Kei responded. "No fun at all without the little loud girl."

"Ah mean is she sick or anything?" Osaka asked. "Kaorin wanted me ta call her about Yomi-chan when y'all got back."

Kei shrugged. "Normally I would give you a speech about doctor-patient confidentiality, but she wasn't really my patient and Saeki-san isn't here. My diagnosis is that she's a cynical bitch. She'll be fine, but I feel for those around her."

"That's mean!" Osaka scolded. "Yomi-chan's great."

"She'll be fine," Kei repeated. "I figure it's more or less the same thing that happened to you and your other friends. Only she doesn't want my help. That suits me just fine."

Osaka plucked her cell phone from her pocket. "Kay, I'll call and tell Kaorin that, then," she announced as she fiddled with her phone, only to drop the device onto the table. "Stupid things!" she griped as she groped her own breasts. "They're in tha way!"

"I'm sure you'll get used to it, Ayumu-chan," Kei assured with a beaming smile as he handed the cell phone back to Osaka.

* * *

A short time later at Kagura's place…

"Osaka says that Yomi-chan is just fine," Kaorin informed Kagura as she breathed a sigh of relief and put the cell phone away.

"That's good to hear," Kagura replied as she led Kaorin towards her room.

"This is a real mess," Kaorin observed as she entered Kagura's cluttered room. Not only was the room wrought with the usual clutter, but it seemed to be that there were letters and envelopes occupying every nook and cranny in the room.

"Sorry about that," Kagura apologized. "It's getting to be a real problem, though," she complained in reference to the letters. "I'll have to start burning them or find a dumpster to toss them all into."

The cat-girl didn't doubt the statement at all. There had to be a thousand letters strewn about the cramped room. And that was just counting what was visible. Taking into account the Kagura had already stashed or thrown away as well as the hundreds of letters sitting back at Kaorin's house there was no telling just how many letters there were. "You got all of these… in a week?" Kaorin marveled.

Kagura shook her head. "Most of these came in the mail or were laying around outside this morning," the athlete claimed as she opened up a drawer and plucked a letter from inside. "Anyway, here's that anonymous letter I was talking about," the tomboy offered as she thrust the letter in Kaorin's direction. At first Kaorin didn't even register that Kagura was holding the letter out to her. She was just dumbfounded by the fact that Kagura had received so many letters. "Here!" Kagura practically shouted to snap Kaorin out of her stupor.

"S-sorry," Kaorin absentmindedly apologized as she took the letter and scanned over it. "What's so special about it?" The cat-girl inquired, not noticing any difference between this letter and the dozens that she had already seen.

"Lots of things," Kagura asserted. "Most importantly is that letter refers to me as "Kagura-san" not "Kagura-senpai" or "Kagura-sama"," she explained. "And it doesn't mention the swim team. It says the track team."

"I thought it just praised you for being great at track," Kaorin mumbled as she reread the letter only to prove herself wrong. "So this person doesn't even know what team you're on. Isn't that a little insulting?"

"No," Kagura refuted. "I used to be on the track team… back in middle school."

Kaorin offered Kagura a puzzled look as she uselessly looked back to the letter. "I don't follow," she admitted, feeling kind of stupid.

"It took me awhile to put the puzzle pieces together, too," Kagura allowed. "But if you look closely, the paper is a little faded. It means that this is the only letter that wasn't written in the past week. Someone wrote that at least a year and a half ago and held onto it all that time. I actually got that the first day I found a bunch of letters in my locker, too."

"So this letter is the only one you know for sure that contains true feeling about you and not just the sudden hype," Kaorin surmised.

Kagura blushed a bit at the comment. "Yeah, more or less," she confessed. "But it's not signed. And it's written in calligraphy so you can't even compare it to anyone's handwriting. I really can't think of a way to figure out who wrote it."

"You know, I get a bit of déjà vu when I look at it," Kaorin mumbled as she stared at the sheet of paper.

"Y-you wrote it?" Kagura exclaimed as she recoiled.

"No!" Kaorin emphatically denied as she crossed her arms in front of her to make an "X". "I'm just saying that there is something familiar about it. I can't figure it out, though," the cat-girl clarified what she had meant. Pulling the letter close to her face in order to study it, Kaorin noticed something else. Closing her eyes, the cat-girl held the paper right up to her face and sniffed it.

"…What are you doing?" Kagura prodded after watching the bizarre act of Kaorin sniffing her letter for several seconds.

"Perfume," Kaorin announced. "It's faint, but it definitely smells like perfume."

"Eh?" Kagura asked as she retrieved the letter from Kaorin and smelled it herself. "I can't smell anything," the tomboy conceded after a few deep inhales.

Kagura resigned and handed the letter back to Kaorin. "It definitely smells like perfume," the cat-girl announced after smelling the letter again. "It seems kind of familiar. Maybe it's this scent that gives me déjà vu."

An audible growl escaped Kagura's throat at Kaorin's announcement. "So you're telling me that the only letter I give a damn about was written by a girl?" Kagura surmised.

"It seems that way," Kaorin agreed.

"So we're back to square one, then," Kagura irately grumbled as she snatched the letter back and carelessly tossed it to the floor with the scores of other letters.

"Just because it's from a girl you don't care at all about it now?" Kaorin accused.

"O-of course I care, but it's not like I can just go and date a girl," Kagura tactlessly tried to dodge as she realized that she had probably just offended Kaorin.

"And why not?" Kaorin growled.

Kagura held up her hands as she tried to defend herself. "Girls just aren't supposed to date other girls," she uselessly claimed. "You're supposed to meet some successful guy, get married, and have children. It's just what you're supposed to do and you can't do any of that with another girl."

"So true love doesn't matter? It's more important to do what society wants than to follow your heart?" Kaorin pressed.

"I never said that," Kagura refuted. "It's just… it would be awkward… and stuff."

"And how is going out with some guy you don't even really know not awkward? Not to mention that it could be dangerous!" Kaorin argued. "On top of that, you've never even dated a girl, so how do you even know if it would be awkward?"

Kagura growled at Kaorin's persistent insistence. "Fine then!" she snapped. "Let's find out just how awkward it is!"

"…Eh?" Kaorin squeaked, completely disarmed.

"You don't have any other plans for today, right?" Kagura asked rhetorically. "Let's go on a date!"

"Ehhh!"


	22. Crush

A/N: It has been far too long since I updated this story! I hadn't noticed that it had been nearly a year since I posted a chapter. Since I've been busy I thought I was doing well by updating every couple of months, but since my last half-dozen updates have been for other stories this one has taken nearly a year to get done. A thousand apologies. I'll try to distribute my attention more evenly in the future.

* * *

"B-but I don't… feel that way about you," Kaorin tried to delicately refuse Kagura's absurd proposal to go out on a date together.

"Neither do I," Kagura insisted. "Consider it practice. I haven't been on a date since middle school and I'm pretty sure you're out of practice, too."

Kaorin blushed a bit a Kagura's suggestion. "I've never…actually been on a real date before," she sheepishly admitted.

"Then you could really use the practice," Kagura smiled. "I mean, do you really want to ask Sakaki out without any experience? Though it doesn't look like you're going to work up the courage to do that anytime soon."

"H-hey! Things have gotten complicated lately," Kaorin defended her cowardice. "Between Sakaki-san's mother and the series of bizarre events…"

The diversion worked like a charm. "Things have definitely gotten weird lately," Kagura agreed with a nod. "First you turn into a cat-girl," she noted as she held her hands up on her head to pantomime cat ears. "Then Chiyo grows up completely overnight," Kagura continued as she held her hand at Chiyo's new height. "And Osaka…what the hell?!" she finished as she traced an outline of an hourglass with her hands. "If this keeps up, who knows what's going to happen to Sakaki."

"Don't say things like that!" Kaorin screeched. "Do you _want_ to jinx Sakaki-san?!"

Kagura wasn't fazed. "Maybe Sakaki will turn into a boy," she teased. "But then you wouldn't be interested, huh?"

"Th-that's not true!" the cat-girl refuted. "I would like Sakaki-san even if she were a boy!"

Kagura cocked an eyebrow at the unexpected statement. "So you're saying that you play for both teams? Why not just hook up with a guy then?"

"That's neither here nor there," Kaorin growled. "Sakaki-san is the person I like. I won't give up!"

"Then you could use some practice before you try asking her out!" Kagura grinned. "So do you want to go home and get ready or do you just want to go somewhere?"

Kaorin breathed a long, drawn-out sigh that signaled her defeat. "I'm hungry."

"Great!" Kagura exclaimed as she grabbed Kaorin's hand and lead the blushing cat-girl out of the house. "Let's go have some fun!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakaki and Naomi sat in silence across from one another at a table in an upscale café. Even though both of them were nearly finished with their meals, neither of them had said more than two words the entire time. Sakaki was still too hesitant to say anything to Naomi. While on the other side of the table Naomi had been patiently waiting for the tall girl to speak up on her own. As time grew short, however, Naomi's patience reached its limit. "I really need to get back to work soon," the tall woman bluntly stated. "If you're still not willing to open up, then perhaps it would be best if we tried this again some other time."

"I-no," Sakaki stumbled. "It's just… I don't want Okaa-san to hate me. I don't want you to hate me."

Naomi was unable to suppress a frown. "I've been helping your mother raise you since you were barely knee-high," she reminded Sakaki. "I love you as if you were my own daughter. There is nothing that could make me come to hate you. I know your mother feels that way, too. Even if she is kind of…awkward at showing it at times, you mean more to your mother than anything. You know that, right?"

"Ah," Sakaki mumbled as she downcast her gaze towards her plate. As encouraging as Naomi's heartfelt words were, it was still an uphill climb for the shy girl to work up the courage to spill her guts. "Do you really promise that you won't tell anyone?"

"I've already given you my word," Naomi assured. "I fully intend to keep it."

Sakaki sighed as she gathered her courage and organized her thoughts. "W-well there is someone that I like," she confessed with a slight blush.

Naomi couldn't help but to smile as all of her trepidation about what could be bothering the tall girl so much faded away entirely. "Is that all?" she jovially asked. "Honestly I thought we would have a conversation like this three or four years ago!" Seeing that Sakaki was anything but amused, Naomi forced her smile away. "'Okaa-san will never approve', huh?" The tall woman guessed at Sakaki's woes. "That's probably true, but so long is he's a nice boy I don't foresee any lasting problems."

Naomi's statement only served to unnerve Sakaki even more. "But…that _is_ the problem," Sakaki mumbled as she forced herself to continue. "It's not a boy."

Having already lowered her guard, Sakaki's absurd statement left Naomi slack-jawed. The tall woman had already jumped to a convenient conclusion. That conclusion drove the normally collected woman to something very rare for her. Full. Blown. Panic. "I-I knew you were way too affectionate with animals!" Naomi practically shouted in the crowded shop, much to Sakaki's horror. "I-this…this is bad! Um…th-therapy! That might work!" she blurted out her thoughts the instant they popped into her head. "I can probably forge some documents to delay your mother from finding out…Oh! If your mother finds out…!"

"Na-Naomi-san!" a humiliated Sakaki interrupted. "You've got the wrong idea! The person I like is human…mostly."

Naomi drew a few deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. One look at the tomato red girl sitting across from her made the tall woman feel awfully small. "S-sorry," she earnestly apologized. "I guess I got pretty carried away." As soon as Naomi had two seconds to think, the last word that Sakaki had said suddenly snapped into place. "Mostly?!" she hissed as she realized that little qualifier could only indicate one person on the entire planet. "Please tell me it's not the cat-girl!"

Sakaki's gaze purposefully trailed away from Naomi. "..."

"Ugh," Naomi groaned as she slumped over and held her head in her hands. "I'm right this time, aren't I?"

"Y-yes," Sakaki choked out as she kept her eyes averted.

Naomi just shook her head not knowing even where to start. "I-I know I said that I would turn a blind eye so that the two of you could be friends…but this is…I have my limits," she muttered as she kept her head cradled in her hand. "Are you even sure this is what you really want?"

"You don't understand," Sakaki lamented. "You won't have to turn a blind eye. Kaorin doesn't seem to…like girls."

While the statement took a bit of the load off of Naomi's shoulders, it was replaced by a new burden that pulled at her heart. "Unrequited love," Naomi stated the obvious as she looked up to the rather pathetic-looking Sakaki. In any other situation Naomi would have found the slightly blushing, confused girl on the verge of tears to be the cutest darned thing, but under the current circumstances the tall woman couldn't help but feel a storm of unpleasant emotions. As much as Naomi wanted to empathize with Sakaki, she was still having trouble wrapping her head around the situation. "It-it must have been hard. What happened, exactly?"

Sakaki nodded. "Tomo-chan was harassing her and she…Kaorin really seemed to hate the affection. If Kaorin knew that I…she would come to hate me, probably."

"So you haven't even confessed."

"I wouldn't be able to handle it. If she hated me," Sakaki confessed. "I don't know what to do. It's hard to keep myself in check around her. I have to do something."

"Hmmm," Naomi pondered. "Well, you have a few choices available to you. You need to pick one of them. So what will it be?"

"I was hoping you knew a way to stop loving someone," Sakaki expressed her concern without hesitation.

Naomi chuckled at the notion. "That's ridiculous. Not being able to ever forget those feelings. For them to linger forever—that's what love is. Anything else is just infatuation, attraction, or lust."

"How…can you tell the difference?" Sakaki persisted.

Naomi smiled at the question. "It's useless. Without hindsight to guide you, without diving headfirst into it, all of those feelings just blend together and feel more or less the same."

"What should I do?"

"Hmm…" Naomi pondered, "if you aren't ready to confess—well, what do you want to do? Short of being in a relationship, what is it that your heart truly wants?"

Sakaki hesitated before shaking her head. "I… don't know."

"You have to decide for yourself just what it is that you want. No one can make that decision for you."

Sakaki looked to her lap, utterly defeated. "Right."

"I suppose I could give you some rather… questionable advice," Naomi relented at seeing how distraught Sakaki seemed. "If it's just to buy time for you to make up your mind, you could try to come up with a few simple lies beforehand. Reasons to avoid that cat-girl, excuses for your strange behavior—don't give me that look, either. You've been acting a bit off for some time now."

"Okay," Sakaki mumbled. "Thanks."

"You're young," Naomi informed Sakaki. "To you it must seem like you have all the time in the world, but you shouldn't wait too long to make up your mind. It can be amazing how quickly things can change."

* * *

"Th-this is kind of embarrassing," Kaorin blushed as her face remained mere millimeters away from Kagura's.

"Just a little longer," Kagura urged as she kept her arms wrapped around Kaorin.

Kaorin's ears twitched a bit. "I don't hear anything."

"You're sure?" Kagura asked before receiving a slight nod from Kaorin. The tomboy then sighed as she released the cat-girl.

"It looks like we lost them," Kaorin announced as she peeked around the trash receptacle the duo had been hiding behind.

Kagura got to her feet and dusted herself off as she tentatively joined Kaorin in surveying the area. "This might be a little harder than I thought," she lamented. "I didn't even know you still had people pestering you, too."

"It's mostly people trying to recruit me," the cat-girl replied as the duo cautiously made their way back to the street. "You're the one with all the fans."

"Recruit?"

Kaorin nodded. "It's usually for a cosplay café or something like that."

"Ah," Kagura realized. "That makes sense. I have no clue why everyone keeps pestering me, though."

"Well, let's just try to keep a lower profile. It probably wasn't the best idea to get a window seat in a street-side café."

"Maybe we should try finishing our date somewhere else? Take a train and get away from all my fans," the tomboy suggested as she pointed in the direction of the nearest train station. "I'm pretty sure it's just a local thing—for me anyways. You've been on international news, right?"

"Don't remind me," the cat-girl sighed as her ears and tail wilted.

* * *

"Think it over a while," Naomi advised as she dropped Sakaki off at her house. She glanced down at the gearshift as she put the car into reverse before looking back to Sakaki. "You can call me if you need me," she graciously offered, "but that might leave me in an…uncomfortable situation regarding your mother. So only call if you really need it."

"Okay, thanks," Sakaki replied as she fished the house key from her pocket.

"Try not to worry yourself to death," Naomi added only half-jokingly as she began to pull out of the driveway.

Sakaki just sighed as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. "What should I do?" she uselessly asked the empty house. After closing and locking the door behind her and removing her shoes, Sakaki sluggishly made her way to her room. The tall girl flopped down on her bed as she meditated on Naomi's advice. _What is it that your heart truly wants?_ Naomi's words echoed in Sakaki's mind. The inciting advice was replaced by the even more moving memory of a certain cat-girl's lips on her own. She instantly sat up as she shook her head in a desperate attempt to dislodge the thought from her mind. _It's no use!_ she realized as she wrapped her arms around her tumultuous stomach. "What am I going to do?"

* * *

"Ah! Right there!" Kagura shouted. "Yes!"

"N-no, I can't," Kaorin whined. "I-it's not…"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Th-this isn't right—I can't…"

"Heheh, that was great," Kagura gloated as she patted Kaorin's shoulder. "You suck though."

"I know," Kaorin complained as she slumped over the controls of an arcade video game. "Sakaki-san said she likes this sort of thing, but I really can't get the hang of it."

Kagura couldn't help but to keep grinning at that tidbit. "I never knew Sakaki liked fighting games. I'll have to challenge her to one sometime," she boasted. Her smile finally faded away as she realized that Kaorin was anything but happy. "Ah…I guess you should pick what we play next. I really hate losing, too."

"It's not that…" Kaorin claimed as she held her hands up. "It's just…isn't this supposed to be a date? It doesn't seem very romantic."

Kagura crossed her arms as she contemplated Kaorin's question. "I…don't really know," she admitted after a few moments. "Would it be romantic to you if it were Sakaki instead of me…or just fun, maybe? Does a date have to be romantic?"

"Well, yeah," the cat-girl argued. "If there's no romance, then it would just be us hanging out. Not a date."

Kagura blushed a little. "You…really want to do something romantic, huh?"

"I want a date," Kaorin quipped. "That's what you promised me, right?"

"I, ah, don't know," Kagura conceded after a few seconds. "Do you have any ideas?"

Kaorin smiled a bit. "First thing's first," she claimed as she held up a finger. "Let's find a game I can beat you at!"

Kagura grinned in return. "Heh. Good luck."

"Over here," Kaorin asserted as she led Kagura by the hand to a nearby skill crane game filled with small stuffed animals. "I can do this one," she confidently claimed.

"Anyone can do this!" Kagura claimed as she let her competitive spirit get the better of her. The tomboy was quick to drop a coin into the slot. Without so much as a single thought, Kagura blindly attempted to grab the first one to catch her eye: a pink kitten. The claw missed its target entirely. "That-that didn't count!" she claimed as she dropped another coin into the machine. It took Kagura two more attempts to resign. "I'd like to see you do better."

"I aim to please," Kaorin confidently smiled as she fed the machine and attempted for the same toy that Kagura had aimed for. Kaorin's aim proved to be a vast improvement over Kagura's. She managed to snag the stuffed animal, but as soon as the claw reached its apex the doll fell from the jarring. "Almost…" Kaorin breathed as she plopped another coin in. This time she snagged the pink kitten and successfully returned it to the chute. "I got it!" the cat-girl celebrated as she withdrew her prize.

Kagura hung her head in defeat. "I lost."

Kaorin looked to the tiny prize in her hands before turning to the wilted tomboy. "Here," she offered as she held the doll towards Kagura.

"Eh?" a befuddled Kagura puzzled. "You won."

"Isn't this one of the things you do on a date?" Kaorin asked rhetorically as she continued to offer the stuffed kitten towards Kagura.

"Y-yeah," Kagura reluctantly accepted the gift with a small blush. "I guess. Thanks." As she held the tiny stuffed animal in her hands, she quickly forgot about losing the contest. To the overly-competitive tomboy, it seemed unfathomable to give up even such a meaningless and fluffy trophy.

"What can we do now?" Kaorin queried as she glanced about the arcade. "We seem to have flown under the radar so far, but I don't want to push our luck."

"Uh…yeah," Kagura absentmindedly replied as she snapped out of her stupor.

"What do you think Sakaki-san would like to do on a date?"

The tomboy shrugged after pocketing the tiny stuffed animal. "I don't really know."

"Eh?" Kaorin scrutinized as she and Kagura started out of the arcade. "How can you not know? You're with Sakaki-san all the time. You have to know something!"

Kagura scratched the back of her head as the duo melded into the walking crowds. "Well, she's quiet, you know? Sakaki really doesn't talk about herself at all."

"You really don't know anything?"

"Hnng," Kagura growled as she fervently tried to dislodge any useful memories. Then she suddenly perked up as some memories floated to the surface. "Sakaki likes flowers," she claimed, "or at least she knows a lot about them. She also seems to like cats. The feeling isn't mutual."

"I knew that Sakaki-san liked cats," Kaorin claimed. "What do you mean that the feeling isn't mutual?"

"Cats seem to be really hostile towards her," Kagura elaborated. "They seem to go out of their way to attack her. It doesn't make sense."

Kaorin contemplated Kagura's words a while before deciding to drop the matter. As disconcerting as the memory of her biting Sakaki was, talking about it with the girl she had just recently bitten seemed more than a little awkward. "S-sorry again," Kaorin mumbled as she looked to Kagura's still bandaged hand.

"Huh?"

"N-never mind," Kaorin dismissed. "What else do you know about Sakaki-san?"

Kagura just shrugged. "Nothing comes to mind."

"Fine," Kaorin relented with a sigh. "So what should we do on our 'date'?"

"Dunno. Maybe we should just keep walking around?"

"It needs to be romantic," Kaorin asserted.

"What counts as romantic?"

Kaorin blushed a bit as her imagination sparked to life. "A candlelit dinner as Sakaki-san and I gaze into each other's eyes. Then she leans in and cradles my cheek with her hand as she draws my face close to hers—"

"No," Kagura firmly interrupted Kaorin. "I'm not doing any of that."

"I said 'Sakaki-san'," Kaorin spat, a bit sore about her fantasy being interrupted. The cat-girl cleansed her ire with a sigh as she moved back to the subject. "Anyway, we should do something at least a little i-intimate," she fumbled the last word out of embarrassment.

Kagura glanced over at Kaorin before fixating on the cat-girl's hand. After a moment's hesitation, she slipped her hand into Kaorin's. "Something like this?" Kagura blushed as she purposefully looked away from the cat-girl.

"Uh…ye-yeah," Kaorin choked out as she fought a blush of her own.

After several seconds of silent strolling, Kagura finally looked back to Kaorin. "Um...this might sound kind of stupid, but can you switch sides?"

"Huh?"

"Those video games made my hand a little sore," Kagura explained. "It's throbbing."

Kaorin obediently relinquished Kagura's hand, but she didn't switch sides. Instead she moved her grip upwards as she pulled the tomboy's arm against her chest. "If it was Sakaki-san, it would be like this," Kaorin fantasized as she closed her eyes.

Kagura's blush returned with a vengeance as she felt Kaorin's body pressed up against her arm. Even more disturbing to the tomboy was the low rumbling coming from the cat-girl's chest. "I-I'm not Sakaki, remember?"

Kaorin sighed a resentful sigh as she released Kagura. "That's pretty obvious," she relented as she moved to Kagura's other side and grabbed her hand. "Sakaki-san…would probably never…"

There was an air of silence between the girls amongst the backdrop of a boisterous crowd as Kaorin trailed off. After a few moments Kagura felt as though she had to say something. "Hey, just now… were you purring?"

The fuzzy-eared girl blushed at the suggestion, but instead of admitting to it, she instead turned her head away from Kagura. "Sh-shut up!"

Kagura couldn't keep herself from laughing. "You really were, weren't you?"

"I-it's not like I can help it!"

Kagura was genuinely perplexed. "So…it's like a reflex or something?"

Kaorin's ears and tail drooped along with her mood and her head. "I-I guess. I don't know." Using her free hand she reached around and grabbed her tail to hold it in front of her. "It's like this stuff isn't even a part of me," she sullenly confessed. "Sure I can make them move if I want to, but they move automatically, all on their own, whenever I'm not thinking about it. I can't do anything at all about the purring, either."

"Sounds like a pain," Kagura treaded lightly as she sensed Kaorin's misery.

"It's…only now starting to sink in," the cat-girl bemoaned. "I might really be stuck like this. I can't…get used to it. I look in the mirror and it's almost as if the reflection isn't mine. I hate it."

"I thought that pervert doctor was supposed to be working on it?"

"Do you have any faith in Kei?" Kaorin asked rhetorically as her mood shifted from despair to exasperation. "That guy might mean well, but he hasn't shown that he is good for anything. Zero progress on anything."

Kagura nodded. "He doesn't seem to be reliable at all," she agreed. "So what do you think caused it?"

"Huh?"

"The ears and tail thing," the tomboy clarified. "What do you think could have caused it?"

Kaorin looked confounded for a minute before shaking her head. "I…hadn't really thought too much about it. Kei thinks it's aliens or magic or something ridiculous like that."

"You're a cat-girl," Kagura callously pointed out. "This…whole mess is ridiculous," she claimed as she motioned to Kaorin's ears and tail.

"I haven't been able to stop worrying about how horrible this change has been or how I might be able to fix it," Kaorin continued as she let Kagura's comment go, "but I never really stopped to think about how it happened."

"So what happened?"

Kaorin shook her head again. "I don't know. I just woke up like this one morning. I don't understand it at all."

"Did anything weird happen before that?" Kagura pressed.

Kaorin looked up and placed a finger on her chin as she tried to remember. "Ah! That was the day I found the meteorite," she recalled. "Aside from that, I don't think anything special happened."

"Meteorite?" the tomboy asked as she led Kaorin away from the busy streets and into a nearby park.

"Kei already checked it out," Kaorin explained. "He said it was just an ordinary meteorite."

Kagura looked thoughtful for a time before shaking her head. "I dunno," she resigned. "It doesn't make any sense."

"It's a living nightmare," Kaorin complained.

"It can't be all bad, though," Kagura did her best to cheer her date up. "Like that thing you did at the pool. That was awesome!"

"That caused a car wreck."

Kagura grinned as she scratched the back of her head. "Oh, yeah," she chuckled. "You gotta admit, it was still pretty cool. Hey! Maybe you should do gymnastics instead of your astrology club!"

"It's astronomy," the cat-girl corrected.

"Whatever," Kagura dismissed. "A sports club has gotta be better, right? Any other club would just be boring."

"You're too competitive," Kaorin admonished. She then sighed as she gave some serious thought to Kagura's poorly stated argument. "The astronomy club has been pretty awful lately. No one was interested in my meteorite at all."

"Ah," Kagura replied, unsure of how to respond.

Kaorin just sighed. No one at all seemed interested in her meteorite—aside from Kei. And that daft doctor desired nothing more than to destroy it! The cat-girl resigned as she let out an exaggerated yawn that showed off her pronounced canines.

"Tired already?" Kagura asked as she pointed to nearby bench in front of a small pond.

"I'm exhausted," Kaorin admitted. "It's been a hell of a week." The cat-girl then allowed Kagura to drag her over to the bench where she eagerly flopped down.

"This mean the date's over?" Kagura asked as she withdrew her hand from Kaorin's before sitting down next to her date.

Kaorin sprawled out on the bench, allowing her head to tilt back over the backrest as she closed her eyes. "You asked for a date, I'm going to make you go through with it," she spitefully teased the tomboy.

Kagura grunted as she leaned back and looked up to see only tiny bits of the sky through the overhanging branches of trees. "Actually, even if this doesn't really count…it's not so bad—as a date, I mean," Kagura reluctantly admitted.

"We haven't really done anything, though," Kaorin argued.

"We've had lunch, gone to the arcade, and just took a walk in the park," Kagura recalled. "What more did you want? Sex?"

Kaorin blushed as she quickly sat up to look at the tomboy. "N-n-no! It-it's just…it's just that I had always pictured a date as something more…spectacular. It's been…nice so far, but…"

"I don't think that there has ever been a first date that was super romantic," Kagura interrupted as she grew impatient. "A first date is about getting to know the person you might like better and getting more comfortable around them, not some magical fantasy."

Kaorin sighed in resignation. "That makes sense, I guess," she said. "You seem to be really knowledgeable about this sort of thing. Just how many dates have you been on?"

It was Kagura's turn to blush. "I…haven't been on very many at all," she confessed. "F-four, actually."

"Eh?"

"I've only had 'first dates'," the tomboy continued. "None of them worked out at all. That's why I stopped trying."

"So why are you trying now?" Kaorin queried.

Kagura sighed. "I dunno. It's this whole stupid popularity thing," she divulged. "I figured that if I had a steady boyfriend that a lot of the fanfare would end—or at least they'd keep their distance or something. And…I guess I forgot how great it is to get that kind of attention. All those letters and stuff."

Kaorin was silent a moment before speaking up. "Do you think that Sakaki-san got a lot of letters like that?"

"I dunno," Kagura shrugged. "Probably."

"H-how am I supposed to…I'll never be able to compete for Sakaki-san, not really," Kaorin sullenly acknowledged as her ears drooped along with her posture. "I'd do anything to go on a date with Sakaki-san, but I'm nowhere as determined as you are. You asked me out as if it were the simplest thing in the world."

"If you'd do anything, then do it," Kagura challenged. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Sa-Sakaki-san might hate me for it," Kaorin fretted.

"You still gotta try, right?" the tomboy encouraged.

"Easy for you to say."

"This ain't about me," Kagura asserted. "It's about you, right? You and Sakaki."

"I don't…I'm not brave like you," Kaorin squeaked. "What if Sakaki-san thinks I'm disgusting? What if Sakaki-san despises me because of it? I can't…there's no way I could talk to her about it."

Kagura grunted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It is kind of weird," she allowed. "Ah! Hey! I just had an idea!" she exclaimed as she put a hand on Kaorin's shoulder. "You write a letter! A love letter!"

"D-don't be stupid," Kaorin shrugged Kagura's hand off. "It's the same thing…I just…even I'm not that cowardly."

"No, just write a girl's name on it then I'll talk to Sakaki about it after she reads it," Kagura beamed, proud of her plan. "That way you won't have to worry about Sakaki hating you or anything."

Kaorin's hopes rose, but only for a moment before crashing right back down. "But…she still might not—"

"Grah! Stop worrying already!" Kagura snapped. "You're worrying about stuff that probably won't even happen!"

"I-I'm sorry," Kaorin apologized as she hung her hand and curled her hands into fists in her lap. "I…can't help it."

"H-hey! Don't cry!" Kagura quickly changed her tune. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Really!"

Kaorin swiped away unshed tears. "No, you're right, probably. I-I'm just…tired," she assured as she tried to compose herself. "It's too much."

"Do you just… wanna call the rest of the date off?" she asked as she scratched the back of her head.

Kaorin shook her head as she yawned again. "This is fine," she mumbled as she slumped over and rested her head on Kagura's shoulder. "It's nice and peaceful here. A little rest and…we'll—"

"What're you—" Kagura protested, "Don't fall asleep on me!" The tomboy's words fell on deaf ears. Kaorin was already fast asleep. "Crap," Kagura muttered aloud as she wondered just what she was supposed to do. After several minutes of sitting statue still, Kagura shuffled about to get more comfortable causing Kaorin to slide down off of her shoulder.

Kaorin's head ended up nestled atop the tomboy's ample bosom as she wrapped her arms around her date. "Mmnh, Sakaki-san," she mumbled in her sleep.

No longer caring about waking the cat-girl, a furiously blushing Kagura unscrupulously untangled the sleeping girl's arms from herself. This caused Kaorin to flop over and end up with her head in Kagura's lap. Somehow, the cat-girl remained fast asleep. "Th-that's better…I guess," Kagura mumbled as she was stuck again wondering exactly what she was supposed to do.

After several more minutes of uncomfortable shuffling about, Kagura was reaching her limit. It just wasn't in Kagura's nature to sit still and do nothing. Worse still was the fact that her body was reaching its limits in other ways. _I don't have to pee. I don't have to pee,_ she repeated the mantra in her head as she stared contemptuously at the cat-girl resting peacefully in her lap.

"Well, well," a vaguely familiar voice called out to Kagura. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Eh?" Kagura looked over her shoulder to spy Kei standing on the walking path next to Osaka.

As the duo walked around to the front of the bench, Kei focused on the cat-girl in Kagura's lap. "Looks like Koneko-chan is here, too," he happily noted as he fished out his phone to take a picture.

Kagura blushed at the awkward position she found herself in. "H-h-h-hey, don't get the wrong idea. We just stopped to rest and she fell asleep on me." With little other recourse, Kagura attempted to shift attention away from her own plight. "Just why are you here? And with Osaka, too."

"They all really call you that, huh?" Kei rhetorically asked as he glanced to the now-voluptuous space cadet. "'Osaka' here was just showing me all the places she's been in the past few days. We're hoping to find something significant."

"Still on about that, huh?" Kagura spat.

"I may be grasping at straws at this point, but at least I haven't surrendered just yet," Kei confidently asserted. "You mind waking Koneko-chan up? I received some interesting results back about her a couple of hours ago."

Kagura looked down to her dozing date. "Fine," she grunted as she shook Kaorin's shoulder. Although the cat-girl let out an incoherent mumble, she did not awaken.

"Kaori-chan," Kei softly cooed before sucking in a lungful of air. "Wake up!" he shouted right in her sensitive ears.

"Kyaa!" the cat-girl screeched as she rocketed up and rubbed her ears. "What the hell?!"

"Matsuda wanted to talk to you," Kagura explained as Kaorin glared at her doctor. "I gotta pee," she quickly dismissed herself.

"Why-what are you doing here?" Kaorin demanded as she tried to make sense of the situation in her sleepy haze.

Kei offered Kaorin a reassuring smile…or it would have been, if Kei's smiles had ever meant anything good for the poor cat-girl. "I have news for you," he happily announced. "I would have you sign some forms, but I didn't expect to see you so soon. I'll have you sign them tomorrow at school."

Kaorin's eyes narrowed as she redoubled her glare at Kei. "What do you mean, 'at school'?"

"Unimportant," Kei dismissed. "I received some preliminary results from those samples I took. It looks like you are a chimera."

"Chimera?"

"But Kaorin don't look like ah lion… or ah goat… or ah snake," Osaka observed as she scrutinized Kaorin. "A cat, maybe."

"Wrong chimera, Ayumu-chan," Kei corrected. "In medicine, a chimera is an organism with two sets of DNA. It happens when two fertilized eggs combine in utero. It manifests as an organism with different DNA in different cells. In humans it's very rare since there are rarely two eggs present in the uterus at a time. It's more common in mice."

Kaorin just stared blankly at Kei. "I don't follow."

Kei sighed. "You are special, though, Kaori-chan. All chimeras have two sets of the same species' DNA. For example: a mouse chimera has two sets of mouse DNA, and a human chimera has two sets of human DNA. You, however, only have one set of human DNA. The DNA in your ears and tail are decidedly feline. House cat, to be more precise. You are the only chimera in documented history to have DNA from two separate species."

"So…all those big words are just to tell me that my ears and tail are cat-ears and a cat-tail," Kaorin summarized in a deadpan tone.

Kei visibly deflated. "Wow. Killjoy," he muttered before regaining his normal, self-confident attitude. "I guess that just leaves the bad news."

Kaorin's ears flattened against her head. "Bad news?"

"Chimerism is a congenital disorder, well… except for you, of course. Anyways, there is no treatment. No cure. Absolutely nothing modern medicine can do to help you," Kei informed the cat-girl. "Well, I guess we could cut them off. But as your doctor I highly recommend against it. It won't bring back your human ears and you'll be stuck with scar tissue and two holes in the top of your head. Probably have to leave a bob-tail of some sort, too."

"There really…isn't anything anyone can do?" Kaorin pitifully pleaded.

"I wouldn't say that," Kei grinned. "Modern medicine can't help, but whatever caused it might be reversible. I just have to find the culprit!" The strange doctor quickly forgot about Kaorin as his thoughts traced back to the task at hand. "Let's get back to retracing your steps, Ayumu-chan. This mystery won't solve itself!"

"Ah, sure," Osaka agreed as she began to lead Kei away. "See ya, Kaorin."

Kaorin didn't offer any reply whatsoever as she hung her head in despair.

"Is he gone?" Kagura's voice echoed as she cautiously emerged from nearby shrubbery. "That guy gives me the creeps."

"I give up," Kaorin resigned as she gave a barely noticeable shake of her head.

"Huh?" Kagura questioned as she approached the bench, still keeping an eye out for the not-so-good doctor.

"Kei said…Kei said that there wasn't-wasn't any hope," Kaorin revealed as she struggled to keep from crying.

"You're gonna die?!" Kagura panicked.

"N-no! Don't be stupid!" Kaorin scolded as she actually smiled a bit at Kagura's foolishness.

"Um… I…" Kagura hesitated, not willing to admit her own stupidity by asking a dumb question.

"Idiot," Kaorin reiterated.

Deciding that she was better with actions than words, Kagura grunted as she grabbed Kaorin's wrist and pulled the cat-girl to her feet. As soon as Kaorin was off of the bench, Kagura wrapped her arms around the slightly smaller girl. "You…looked like you needed a hug," Kagura explained herself.

Kaorin's ears and tail went limp as she tentatively returned the embrace. "Th-thanks," she mumbled before she pulled Kagura away.

"Feeling better?" a slightly blushing Kagura asked as she scratched the back of her head.

"A little," Kaorin claimed with an exasperated sigh. "I'm just sick of this roller coaster. I don't know if I can handle any more ups and downs."

"Ah! You should take a car trip with Yukari-sensei! Those are supposed to fix your fears of roller coasters!" Kagura offered, completely missing the point of Kaorin's words.

Kaorin just shook her head, dispelling the subject entirely. "What time is it?" she changed the subject.

"You weren't asleep very long," Kagura claimed as she looked to her cellphone. "It's not even 17:00."

Kaorin blushed a bit as she only then remembered that she had fallen asleep. "S-sorry about that," she sheepishly apologized.

"I, uh…yeah," Kagura blushed as the memory of Kaorin groping her fluttered into her mind. Suddenly unable to face the cat-girl, Kagura turned her back and plodded the few steps to the small pond in front of the bench.

"So, what now?" Kaorin changed the subject again as she appeared next to the tomboy.

"What do you wanna do?" Kagura asked as she crouched down and gazed into the still water, revealing her own reflection as well as Kaorin's. She watched as Kaorin's reflection also squatted down.

"I want to forget about this," Kaorin claimed as she looked to her reflection and covered her cat ears.

As Kagura searched for words to comfort her date, her focus shifted beyond the reflections to discover a bevy of koi that had gathered in the girls' shadows. "They must be used to getting hand-fed," Kagura noted as she uselessly searched her pockets for something to throw to the fish. Not finding anything, her focus quickly turned to the many stones surrounding the pond. Without a second thought, she plucked one from the ground and tossed it at the fish. As the stone broke the surface, it dispelled the girls' reflections and caused the fish to scatter. The fish returned almost immediately, although the ripples still distorted the reflections. With a sigh, Kagura flopped back onto her rear. "I…don't know how," she admitted as she looked over to Kaorin. "I want to help you, but…"

Kaorin pressed her palms against her knees as she rose to her feet. "I know," she said as she turned to the tomboy. "But you're really trying your best, aren't you?" Kaorin asked as she extended her hand towards Kagura. "You've put up with me this whole time and you're still trying. So, thanks. You might not be Sakaki-san, but you're still a great date."

Kagura blushed at the praise as she allowed Kaorin to pull her up to her feet. "Hey we're not done yet," the tomboy proclaimed as she patted the dirt from her rear. "I still have to buy my date a nice dinner," she claimed as she took Kaorin's hand in her own and pulled her along. "How's about sushi?" Kagura suggested as she remembered the swimming fish.

"Sounds…great," Kaorin smiled as she momentarily forgot about her troubles.

* * *

It took the duo over half an hour to decide on a place to eat. In the end they settled for a small, conveyor belt sushi restaurant. "This isn't exactly a fancy place for a dinner," Kagura complained as she grabbed a passing plate.

Kaorin struggled to swallow her mouthful before reminding Kagura, "Don't forget that this is a mock-date. No sense in breaking the bank."

"I guess," Kagura agreed, "but date or not I wanted to try and cheer you up."

"Enough of that out of you," Kaorin chided as she pointed her chopsticks at Kagura. "You've done more than your fair share of trying to help me. And not just today either. In fact, to repay you I'll take care of the bill."

"Eh?" Kagura bumbled with a mouth still full of food. After forcing the food down, she protested, "I'm the one that asked you out."

"You already paid for lunch," Kaorin countered as she raised a bite of sushi to her lips.

"I guess," Kagura mumbled as she hesitated grabbing another plate.

The tomboy's reluctance didn't go unnoticed by Kaorin. "If you're still hungry, get another plate," the cat-girl accused in a slightly threatening tone. "As many as you like."

"You're going to have to let me repay you somehow," Kagura beamed as she grabbed two plates off of the conveyor belt at once.

"You've been holding back, huh?" Kaorin joked.

"I-is it too much?" the tomboy hesitated.

Kaorin shook her head. "It's fine. I probably owe you a lot more than that. It's hard to keep track anymore."

"Yah knogh," Kagura mumbled before swallowing, "you're supposed to repay me by helping with that love letter."

"I did," Kaorin reminded her. "Did you already forget why we're on this date?"

Kagura blushed a bit in embarrassment. "Ah…a little, I guess," she admitted.

Kaorin sighed as she set down her chopsticks. "For me, this date was supposed to be a practice run for what might happen if I went on a date with Sakaki-san," the cat-girl lamented.

"So, how'd it go?" Kagura absentmindedly asked as she set her sights on Kaorin's last remaining piece of sushi. "Are you gonna eat that?" she asked as she pointed to the half-eaten slab of raw fish on rice.

"What? No," Kaorin claimed. As soon as she did, Kagura snatched the morsel and plopped it into her mouth. "Sakaki-san you are not," the cat-girl spat at Kagura's lack of decorum. She then sighed as she allowed her disgust to dissipate. "I really…I really want this. With Sakaki-san, I mean."

"Well, we'll work on it," Kagura assured as she turned her attention back to her own food.

Kaorin smiled as some of Kagura's confidence rubbed off onto her. "I'll be sure to hold you to it."

* * *

"The sun's starting to set," Kaorin observed as she stepped off the train alongside Kagura. "I guess our date's over."

"Um…actually," Kagura stumbled as she fidgeted about and a blush painted her cheeks.

Kaorin would have to have been a bigger fool than Tomo not to notice the strange behavior. "What?"

"A-actually, I mean you brought it up that I-uh…why I asked you out in the first place," she continued to fidget. She then set her jaw as she gathered her nerve. "It was a fun date," Kagura praised, "but it's not just about fun. Not a real date."

"What's a 'real' date about?"

"The same thing you've been on about since we began," Kagura claimed matter-of-factly. "Romance."

The cat-girl developed a small blush of her own. "A-ah, yeah. But-but this is just a practice run, right?"

"A-about that…" Kagura started as she pulled Kaorin clear of the crowds in front of the station. "If I'm gonna date a girl—a real date—I need to know that-that if there are feelings, I can return them."

"I-I don't follow," Kaorin stammered, even though she had a pretty good idea where this was going.

"K-kiss!" Kagura blurted out as her blush deepened. "I-um… I mean…"

Kaorin's blush amplified as well as her whole face turned red. "I think…I know what you mean," she choked out.

"Is it okay?" Kagura sincerely asked. "I…need to know."

Kaorin hesitated before nodding. "I understand. It-it's part of a 'real' date, right? But am I really a good choice? I've never kissed anyone before. N-not really."

The athletic girl shook her head. "That doesn't matter. It's not like I have a whole lot of experience either." She waited for a response from the cat-girl. When none came, Kagura quickly glanced about to make sure that no one was paying attention to the duo. Assured that they were as alone as they could get standing in front of a train station, the tomboy closed the distance between the duo. She drew a hand around Kaorin's waist as she pulled the smaller girl against herself before hesitating, "It's okay?"

Kaorin nodded as she swallowed her own trepidation. "Y-yeah."

The tomboy cradled the cat-girl's cheek with her bandaged hand as she drew her face to Kaorin's. As her lips met her date's, Kagura found herself struck by how soft and supple the cat-girl's lips were. Their mouths remained statue still a moment before Kagura realized it was up to her to take the lead. She slowly began to massage the cat-girl's lips with her own. As she did so, Kagura was pleasantly surprised as her date returned the kiss.

"Cheater! Slut!" The duo instantly separated from each other at the shrieking voice. They turned to find someone who wasn't angry at all. Instead, she was smiling. "It's not enough that you steal my kiss, you have to go after everyone else, too?" Tomo challenged.

"T-T-T-Tomo-chan!" Kaorin stammered, "What are you doing here?"

"What are you two doing making out here?" Tomo taunted as her smile only widened.

"H-hey!" Kagura interrupted. "I ain't gotta explain anything to you." She then poked the irritating girl in the chest. "And you ain't gonna say a word about this to anyone, got it?"

"Why not?" Tomo argued. "I can say whatever I want to whoever I want, idiot!"

"You're the idiot!" Kagura bit back.

Kaorin quickly placed herself between the bickering girls, not entirely sure if they were really fighting or just screwing around. "Please don't say anything," she pleaded with the wildcat.

"Why not?" she repeated her challenge.

"I-it's not a relationship or anything," Kaorin explained. "It was just…an experiment. Practice."

"Look, just don't say anything about this, all right?" Kagura requested in a threatening tone.

Tomo let a smug little smile tug at her lips. "What do I get if I promise not to say word?"

"You owe me! For the catnip thing!" Kaorin reminded Tomo. "Keep it quiet and we'll be even."

"Hey! You stole my first kiss!" Tomo retorted before pointing to Kagura. "Her's too!"

"Oi, it wasn't my first," Kagura corrected, a little offended at the accusation.

Kaorin pressed her hands together in front of her as she bowed her head. "Look, I'm begging you. Just don't say anything, please."

Tomo couldn't help but to wear a self-satisfying grin. "All right, I won't say a word," she agreed as she waved the duo off and began confidently strolling away. After a while, she chanced a look behind herself to find no signs of the cat-girl or the tomboy. With a snicker, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She opened it to reveal a photo of Kaorin and Kagura kissing. "A picture is worth a thousand words," she hummed to herself. "And it's not technically a word."

Kagura and her date watched the crowds for several moments to make certain that Tomo was really gone. Although it appeared as though the annoying girl was gone, her hijinks managed to attract a few of Kagura's fans to the spot. There was little chance that they were going anywhere anytime soon. "I guess—let's just go home," Kagura grunted.

* * *

Sure enough, the crowd of fans quickly grew from a few to a dozen to an entire mob by the time that Kagura had seen Kaorin home and returned to her own house. "So annoying!" she complained as soon as she got through her front door. As she beat a path to her room Kagura was vaguely aware of her parents saying something to her, but she paid them no mind as she sealed herself in her room. She tramped across the room as she growled in frustration. "Such a pain!" she muttered as she flopped down onto her bed, sending several love letters scattering to the floor. Thanks to Tomo and her own little plague of followers, she never got to talk to Kaorin about the kiss or much of anything else.

As she turned over, a lump in her pocket brought her attention back to something that had happened much earlier in the day. The tomboy sat up so that she could dig into her pocket. It was the tiny pink kitten doll that Kaorin had given her. As she cradled the soft, fuzzy doll in her hands she was struck by how much emotion it elicited even though she didn't care at all for dolls or cats. With a sigh, she got up and gingerly placed it on a nearby dresser—one of the few spots in the room not littered by love letters. Kagura couldn't help but sigh as she sat back down on her bed. "It _was_ a good date," she admitted aloud. She fell onto her back and stared at the ceiling as she reluctantly brought her fingertips to her lips. "Am I really going to date a girl?"

* * *

Not too far away, another girl was having a similar dilemma, although her strategy of dealing with was to try her hardest to distract herself with anything else. Sakaki sat in front of dozens of scattered papers. She had been trying to do homework in a feeble attempt to take her mind off of her problems. In the end, the exact opposite happened. The thoughts of the fuzzy-eared girl had so pervaded her mind that it ended up leeching into what little work she had managed to do. "I can't turn in any of this," she resigned as she carelessly dumped the papers into a nearby trash bin. Before she could muster the will to start over again, her phone sprung to life with a musical tone. The tall girl quickly reached for it, eager to have any excuse to get Kaorin off her mind. "A picture?" she mumbled as she looked to the message on the screen. "From Tomo-chan?"

* * *

A/N: Hopefully the next chapter will be done quickly. It will be a short chapter, but I promise a much better end...not that it would take much to beat this one. Poor Sakaki. A eureka moment happened recently as I realized that this probably isn't the only fanfiction website on the internet. If anyone has any good suggestions, I would not be opposed to posting this and my other stories elsewhere.


	23. Confession

A/N: Finally, here's the exciting chapter you've all been patiently waiting for!

* * *

Wish Chapter 22

* * *

"Huh?" Kagura wondered as she left her front gate to find no fans waiting for her. "That's weird," she mumbled aloud as she threw her bag over her shoulder and started down the road towards school. It didn't take the tomboy long to see another strange sight. Kagura spotted Sakaki trudging along. The tall girl usually got to school long before Kagura did. "Hey, Sakaki!" the tomboy greeted as she ran up to her friend and rival.

Sakaki turned at the sound of Kagura's voice and greeted her with an icy stare. She clenched her jaw as she turned away from Kagura. "Go away," she warned in a threatening tone.

"Something wrong?" Kagura asked as she fell in stride with Sakaki. When the tall girl didn't answer, she put a hand on the tall girl's shoulder. In an instant, Sakaki violently shoved Kagura away with more than enough force to throw the smaller girl to the ground. As Kagura pushed herself up enough to look at Sakaki she found her voice paralyzed by a fierce glare coming from Sakaki. Only after Sakaki curtly turned and marched away did Kagura find her voice. "Wh-what the hell!? I was just trying to help!"

Although she had seethed most of the rest of her trip to the high school, by the time she had gotten there, she had lost most of her steam. Thankfully, she hadn't crossed Sakaki's path again so far. "What the hell's gotten into her?" the athletic girl wondered aloud as she walked into the entryway and scooped up the nearest trash bin. She then made her way to her locker, set the bin under it, and opened it. An avalanche of letters fell into the bin and Kagura scooped out a few more handfuls before finally unearthing her shoes.

"Morning!" a friendly voice called, bringing Kagura's attention to a certain fuzzy-eared girl.

"Ah, hey," Kagura limply replied as she lifted her shoes out of her locker before sweeping it clear of letters.

As Kaorin opened her own shoe locker, she noticed the back of Kagura's skirt was covered in dirt and dust. "Your skirt's dirty," the cat-girl pointed out as she hurriedly swapped her shoes out.

"Huh?" Kagura puzzled as she looked down to find nothing amiss. The next thing she knew, she felt a sweeping motion on her butt. "Wha!?" she reflexively jerked as she turned to find Kaorin brushing the dirt from the back of her skirt. "You, ah, might wanna stop doing what you're doing."

Kaorin was about to respond when she looked up to find that a massive crowd had materialized around the duo and just about every person was glaring at her. "Ah-um… the skirt… there was dirt and I was just…ah…"

A group of several boys broke through to the front of the group. All of them were in tears. "Kagura-sama! We wish you two the best!"

"What the hell now!?" Kagura exasperatedly exclaimed.

"Move it!" a female voice demanded just before a bespectacled brunette burst by the boisterous boys. "Get a life!" Yomi barked as she headed to her own locker. She noticed the famous duo as she exchanged her shoes. "I know it doesn't mean anything coming from me, but I'm sorry about Tomo-chan. Go ahead and kick her ass if she's dumb enough to show up… and she is."

Both girls stared obliviously at Yomi, "Huh?"

As soon as she had her school shoes on, Yomi pulled out her phone and tinkered with it a moment before extending it towards the duo. "The cat's out of the bag, so to speak."

"Eh?! Where did that come from?!" Kaorin screeched at the picture of her and Kagura kissing.

"Tomo-chan sent it to everyone," Yomi explained. "Except you two, I guess."

"Ah man… this is bad," Kagura complained.

"Tread lightly," Yomi cautioned as she gave the girls a wave and left.

Kagura turned to find poor Kaorin on the verge of tears. "Wh-what am I going to do?" the cat-girl whimpered. "They're all glaring at me."

Kagura looked both sympathetic and confused as she let the gravity of the situation sink in. "I…" she hesitated as her mind struggled to find a solution. As she looked to the crowd, the overly-popular girl suddenly knew what she had to do. Kagura's face quickly contorted into a stern scowl as she glared back at the large crowd of fans. "Listen up!" she barked as she held her arm out towards Kaorin. "We aren't dating! This is all a big mistake!" The crowd quickly shifted their attention form the cat-girl to the overnight idol as their glares morphed into enthrallment. "Yes, we kissed! But that's-that's only because I asked her to! She did it as a favor to me—because she's a good friend! And because she is my friend, I won't put up with anyone bullying her! I swear, if any of you bully Kaorin, I'll never forgive you!" As soon as she finished her impromptu speech, she grabbed Kaorin's wrist and pulled her free of the crowd. "And leave me alone for a while!" she shouted back at the crowd.

As soon as the duo was free from the crowd, Kagura released Kaorin's wrist. "Kagura… thank you," the cat-girl earnestly thanked the tomboy with a bow.

"It was the truth. And I kind of am the one responsible for this mess," Kagura dismissed as her thoughts clouded with anger. "I swear if I see Tomo-chan I'm gonna take Yomi up on her offer and kick her ass!"

Kaorin was about to respond, but got distracted as Kagura took the lead and a bit of white caught her eye. "A-ah, um… your skirt," Kaorin stammered.

"What now?" Kagura asked as she looked down.

"There's a tear—a hole," Kaorin explained as she poked a finger through the hole, causing Kagura to flinch as her finger pressed against the tomboy's underwear.

"D-dammit, Sakaki!"

"Eh? Sakaki-san?"

Kagura frowned as she dodged Kaorin's stare. "We…kind of had a fight," she admitted. "She was in a really bad mood this morning."

"You got into a fight with Sakaki-san? Why?" Kaorin demanded.

The tomboy shook her head. "Look, she was in a bad mood. I tried to figure out why and she just shoved me. That's all," she explained as she scratched her head. "I'm just gonna leave her alone for a while. Dunno what I'm supposed to do about this though," Kagura complained as she looped her finger through the offending rip.

"Um, Chihiro-chan might be able to help. Her club does that sort of thing," Kaorin offered as she took the lead. "So, what's wrong with Sakaki-san?"

Kagura let out a disdainful sigh as she shrugged. "I really don't know, she barely said two words to me. All I know is that I don't think I've ever seen her so mad. It was pretty scary."

Kaorin whimpered as she worried about her idol. "I hope everything's okay."

As soon as the duo entered the clubroom, the bustling club fell into dead silence a second before a universal squeal of "Kagura-sama!" rang out.

The cat-girl quickly led Kagura to a somewhat stunned Chihiro. "I…" the short-haired girl struggled to form a sentence. "C-congratulations," she offered in a rather defeated tone, "I guess you two are-are dating now."

Both girls shook their heads as Kagura held up her arms in front of her to form an "X." "We're not dating," the athletic girl denied. "It's a long story, but the point is we're just friends and it's staying that way, forever."

"Anyway," Kaorin interjected. "Kagura's skirt is torn. I was hoping you guys could give us a—Gah!" In an instant nearly every member of the club had Kagura surrounded, every last one of them jumping at the opportunity to help the school's idol. Kaorin managed to claw her way back to Kagura's side as she proceeded to shove the boisterous crowd away. "Grah! We came here for Chihiro-chan's help! The rest of you, scram!" The crowd reluctantly dispersed leaving just the three girls. Kaorin's tone quickly changed as she turned back to her friend. "Think you can fix it before classes start?" she asked as she turned Kagura around to show the hole in the skirt.

Chihiro blushed as she shook her head. "I would take too long, probably," she denied. Kagura groaned at the news as she buried her face in her hand. "I-I could get it fixed before Yukari-sensei's class is over, though. I mean, if you wanted to wait."

"Yeah, that's fine," Kagura assured as she reached to unfasten her skirt.

Kaorin was quick to grab Kagura's hand and stop her. "Just… no," she said with a sigh.

"Huh?"

"You do realize that there are boys in here, right?" Kaorin claimed as she pointed a few fans practically drooling over her.

Kagura blushed as she realized her stupidity. "Um… is there another room?"

"Here!" one of the female club members shouted to bring the trio's attention to a corner of the room. A few of the club's members had set up makeshift curtains to cordon off the corner for Kagura.

"Ah, that'll work, I guess," Kagura mumbled as she headed over. "I'll see you after homeroom!" she hollered back to a retreating Kaorin.

"Good luck!" the cat-girl cheered as she opened the door to leave. As she stepped back into the hallway, Kaorin spotted the object of her affection approaching. The tall girl obviously wasn't herself. Her normally measured march was replaced with a shambling shuffle as she kept her gaze locked on the floor. "G-good morning, Sakaki-san!" Kaorin greeted.

Sakaki looked up at the sound of the cat-girl's voice. As soon as she caught Kaorin's eye, she immediately and purposefully looked away as she picked up her pace and rushed past Kaorin without uttering a sound.

"Sakaki…san," Kaorin fretted as she clasped her hands in front of her chest.

"Such an unhappy face," a voice sounded from right next to her.

"Eh?" a surprised Kaorin squeaked as she looked to her right to find absolutely nothing. She then looked to her left to find Kei smiling at her. "It's you," she spat as her mood soured even further.

Kei let out a small chuckle as his smile widened. "Still can't localize sounds, eh?"

"What do you want?" Kaorin venomously asked.

"My very own pet Martian…sexy Martian," the quirky doctor sarcastically replied as he traced an hourglass shape with his hands. "But having you sign off on this is a close second," he announced as he handed a clipboard to Kaorin. "I told you I would need your signature."

"What is it?" Kaorin warily asked as she looked at the complicated forms.

Kei held out a pen and clicked it, urging Kaorin to take it. "It's a consent form. You have to sign this so I can write about your condition as a case study. All I need is your signature. No tests or anything else…unless you want more tests. I can do more tests."

"I sign this and you go away?" Kaorin asked as Kei pointed to a blank line.

"Only if you want," Kei claimed. "I do love chatting with you, Koneko-chan, even if you can be a rather grumpy kitty."

Kaorin quickly signed her name on the line before shoving the clipboard and the pen at Kei. "…Hey," she spoke up in an uncertain voice. "I know you're not a psychiatrist or anything, but do you know anything much about…you know, people and stuff?"

Kei knowingly smirked. "Sorry, but I don't have any relationship advice for you. As sexy as it is that you've hooked up with that Kagura girl, I'm afraid that I don't know much about homosexual relationships."

"Wh-what?!" Kaorin animatedly screeched. "How do you already know about that?!"

"It's all anyone within a kilometer of this school is talking about," Kei stated matter-of-factly as he pulled out his phone. "I even managed to get this picture from a cute girl at the gate," he explained as he displayed the picture that Tomo had taken. "But I mean really, I was there yesterday. You sleeping on Kagura's lap is my desktop background."

"Y-you can't do that! And don't you dare show that picture to anyone!" Kaorin demanded.

"I could probably make a small fortune selling that pic around here, but the rarest of things are the most valuable," Kei confidently claimed. "That's why it's safe with me, and it's also why I'll be damned If I let any other doctor snatch my cute little Koneko-chan away."

Kaorin sighed as she took what little victory she could in Kei's "reassurance". "For the record, Kagura and I aren't dating. And that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You have my partial and divided attention," Kei claimed as his gaze followed after two girls as they passed by.

Kaorin gave an angry grunt as she stamped on Kei's foot. "How about now?"

"Augh!" Kei stifled a yelp as he stumbled away from Kaorin. "You need to work on that temper. What a way to ask for a favor."

Kaorin's cheeks turned a bit pink as she realized her hypocrisy. "Y-yeah… sorry, or whatever," she reluctantly apologized in a barely audible tone. She then continued at a normal volume, "Look, my friend seems to be really upset and I don't know why. She didn't even speak to me today!"

"Ah, women… A mysterious enigma wrapped in the world's most beautiful package," Kei mused. "I don't understand your gender as well as I'd like, but I can take a stab at it. Have you considered the possibility of the discharge of uterine lining through the vaginal canal?"

Kaorin looked puzzled a moment before she recognized what Kei was talking about. "That's not it and… gross."

"All bodily functions are gross. Trust me, I'm a doctor," Kei joked. "In my experience, talking only makes it worse. Worse and worse. Maybe you should leave her alone."

"Why the hell did I ask you for advice?" Kaorin spat as she started walking towards her classroom. "Talk about dumb ideas." As she entered the classroom, her eyes were immediately drawn towards Sakaki's desk. It was empty. _Sakaki-san definitely passed me in the hall. Where did she go?_ Kaorin wondered as she walked towards her own desk. She stopped partway when she got to Yomi. "You seemed to be in a hurry this morning, is everything okay?"

Yomi opened her mouth to snap at Kaorin, but caught herself and sighed. "You're not the only one having a hard time," the bespectacled girl claimed. "I still can't taste anything at all. My doctor doesn't have a clue as to what's wrong."

"Ah, um…why didn't you give Kei a chance?"

"That pompous pervert hasn't helped anyone," Yomi spat.

"He's really trying, though."

Yomi shot Kaorin a glare. "Why are you defending him?"

Kaorin hesitated a moment before shaking her head. "He's a jerk. He's a pervert. But…but he isn't a bad person. He won't give up."

"Whatever," Yomi dismissed.

"Um…did Sakaki-san come in here earlier?" Kaorin changed the subject. "I saw her in the hall before. It looked like something was bothering her."

Yomi turned around to look at the empty desk. "Huh. I haven't seen her today," the brunette recalled. "Haven't seen Tomo-chan, either."

"Tomo-chan," Kaorin growled with ire evident in her voice.

Before they had a chance to talk anymore, the warning bell sounded.

* * *

Sakaki cupped her hands beneath a running faucet to collect water before splashing it on her face to erase any signs of lingering tears. Even just seeing the cat-girl in the hall turned out to be too much for her to take. After snatching a paper towel and drying her face, the tall girl looked to the mirror in front of her. Her normally stoic face was dragged down with anxiety. Try as she might, Sakaki couldn't force her frown away or make her cloudy, red eyes sharp and clear once more. Suddenly, her chest painfully contracted as her throat burned anew, demanding her to cry again. The forlorn girl clutched her hands in front of her chest as she did her best to quell the sudden and powerful urge to weep. Even though she weathered the spell, there was a constant pain lingering in her chest. "How…am I supposed to do this?" she breathed as her breaths came in rapid, shallow bursts.

The sound of the warning bell echoed into the bathroom, but it did not compel the tall girl to move so much as an inch. "I can't do this," she resigned as she shook her head and tried to wipe her tears before they could fall.

* * *

"I guess that means we're late," Kagura groaned as she emerged from behind the screens now that the clubroom was nearly empty.

"S-sorry," Chihiro earnestly apologized as she looked up from her work. "It'll be done soon. Maybe Yukari-sensei will be late again."

Kagura adopted a puzzled expression as she approached Chihiro to watch her fix the skirt. "Why are you apologizing? I'm the one keeping you out of class."

"A-ah…I guess," Chihiro stammered as she did her best to work the needle under Kagura's stare. "Um…about you and Kaorin…"

"Like I said, we're not a couple or anything. We're just friends," the tomboy claimed as she held her hands up.

"B-but the picture—"

"I'll kill Tomo-chan when I find her for that stunt," Kagura growled. "Yeah, we kissed. It's a long story."

"Um, well… this will probably take a little while longer."

Kagura sighed at the implication as she tried to organize her thoughts. "Well…it all started when I got this love letter. It was really different from most, but it was signed anonymously. Kaorin tried to help me figure out where it came from and she said that there was perfume on it. So it had to come from a girl, right?"

Chihiro looked up to find Kagura expecting an answer. "Ah, yeah. I don't think guys do that sort of thing."

"Anyways, because of that I was gonna give up on that letter and Kaorin got mad at me. One thing led to another and we ended up going on a date. Not that we like each other or anything like that!" she quickly interjected. "It was to prove that a date with a girl could be as good as one with a guy…and she was right. It went pretty well even if we didn't have feelings for each other. But in the end I decided that if I was going to date some girl then I had to be sure that we would be, um…compatible. Kaorin let me kiss her as a favor. I guess Tomo-chan managed to snap a picture with her phone."

"O-oh," Chihiro mumbled as she pulled the thread through the skirt for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I guess it's back to square one on that letter through," Kagura mused. "I kind of forgot about that with all the ruckus. Hey! Kaorin said you'd be a good bet to help figure out where it came from."

"I-all right," Chihiro agreed as she cut the thread with a nearby pair of scissors. "I'm pretty much done here, though."

"I don't have it on me, but we figured out that it was from someone I went to middle school with," Kagura claimed. "It's kind of old and written on stationary, but the biggest clue was that it mentions me being on the track team. I haven't done that since middle school."

After pulling the string taut, Chihiro hesitated as her hand floated above the scissors. "Th-the stationary. It had kittens playing on it…and the trimming was bits of string coming off of balls of yarn."

"Yeah! Exactly!" Kagura smiled. "Kaorin was right, you're really good at this! Do you know anyone that could have written it?"

"It-it's my letter," Chihiro admitted as she mechanically cut the string to put the final touches on the skirt. "I wrote it."

"Eh?"

"I-I wrote it a long time ago," Chihiro confessed. "I never had…the courage to give it to you. Then all of a sudden one day I saw everyone stuffing your locker with love letters. I-I panicked and shoved it in with all the others." Chihiro then pulled on the seam to prove it secure. "A-all done," she claimed as she picked up the skirt and offered it to Kagura as she revealed twin trails of tears running down her cheeks.

"Ah! Hey! Why are you crying?!" Kagura fretted.

Chihiro shoved the skirt into Kagura's hands before rubbing her eyes. "I-I don't know!"

"W-well stop!" Kagura ordered.

"D-do you ha-hate me? Are-are you mad?"

"No! Why would I be?" Kagura refuted. "You…You're the person I've been looking for."

"I-I *hic* I'm such a coward," Chihiro lamented.

Kagura scratched the back of her head as she grunted in frustration. "I-I don't understand. Shouldn't you be happy?"

Chihiro sat down as she tried to stop crying. "I-I'm sorry! Sorry!"

The tomboy struggled to put her skirt back on before turning her attention back to the sobbing girl. "L-look…I, ah…I don't know what you want me to do. Do you want me to give you some space?"

Chihiro shook her head.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Kagura asked no one in particular.

* * *

Just after the chime sounded, Kaorin moved to her desk. No sooner did she sit down did the door to the room burst open. Instead of Yukari, Kei darted into the room and surreptitiously closed the door behind him. "Let me guess, Keiko-san is outside?" Kaorin accused in a mildly amused manner.

Kei vigorously nodded as he held a finger to his lips in a bid for Kaorin's silence. After a few moments of tense stillness, the door the room suddenly burst open. Kei was relieved, and the class less so, to see a brunette angrily storm in and march up to the lectern. Her gaze immediately turned to the interloper. "Who the hell are you? Are you even a student?"

Kei stepped away from the wall as he assumed a confident posture once again. "I'm Kei Matsuda," he confidently greeted as he started pointing to various students. "Kaori-chan, Ayumu-chan, Chiyo-suke, and Kagura-chan, wherever she is, are all patients of mine."

"Get out of here!" Yukari barked.

The doctor looked to the door as he hesitated. "I trust the hallway is clear?"

"Yeah, whatever. Get out," Yukari grumbled.

"Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of things soon enough," he cheered his various patients as he strolled back out into the hall.

Yukari pulled out a book and opened it before something Kei said finally hit her. "Patients?" she mumbled aloud as she looked to the door. She then turned back to the class, "Was that guy a doctor?"

"Yeah, he's my doctor," Kaorin volunteered. "Sorry about that."

"Doctor…like a rich doctor?" Yukari demanded.

"Um…yeah. His father is a billionaire or something," Kaorin continued.

Yukari stood slack-jawed a moment.

Young? Check.

Cute? Double-check.

Doctor? Triple-check.

Rich? Super-check.

"Study hall!" Yukari screeched as she dashed to the door. She disappeared out of the room in a flash, slamming the door behind her. Less than a second later the door burst open again. "Is he single!?" she demanded loud enough for half the school to hear.

Kaorin nodded. "I think so."

The door slammed shut again and Yukari took off with so much speed that everyone in the classroom could've sworn they heard a race car go by. "Tch," Yomi scoffed as she leaned back in her chair. "Guess that pervert is good for something after all."

After Yukari left, Kaorin's attention wandered back to Sakaki's still-empty desk. "Where is she?" she mumbled aloud.

"Attendance seems to be lacking," Yomi noted as she looked around the room. "Tomo-chan, Chihiro-chan, Sakaki-chan, and Kagura-chan are all missing…wasn't Kagura-chan here earlier?"

"Kagura's skirt was ripped so Chihiro-chan is sewing it for her," Kaorin explained.

"So…what's the deal with you and Kagura-chan?"

Kaorin sighed. "You stormed off so quickly you missed the explanation. Bottom line is: yes we kissed, but we're not a couple. Just friends."

"Whatever floats your boat," Yomi dismissed with a shake of her head. "Honestly I can't stop thinking about this whole loss of taste thing. It's driving me nuts."

Kaorin stood up. "I don't think Yukari-sensei is going to be back anytime soon. I'm going to go check on everyone." As soon as she left the room, she took measure of the hallway and wondered where Sakaki could have gone. Having little other recourse, she headed to see how Kagura and Chihiro were coming along.

It didn't take her long at all to arrive at the clubroom. As soon as she opened the door she found Kagura panicking as Chihiro cried. "What the hell!?" the cat-girl demanded as she sent Kagura a withering glare.

"L-look, I'm really bad at this, okay?" Kagura fumbled before turning back to Chihiro. "Please stop crying!"

"What did you do?" Kaorin accused as she rushed to Chihiro's side. "Are you okay?"

While Chihiro nodded, Kagura held her hands up. "I didn't do anything! Honest!"

"Chihiro-chan?" Kaorin gently prodded.

"I-I just *sniff* I'm overwhelmed."

"I was just talking to her about that letter," Kagura explained as she allowed herself to relax a bit now that Chihiro finally seemed to be calming down. "She said that she wrote it and the next thing I knew she was crying."

"Chihiro-chan wrote it!?" Kaorin asked, receiving a nod from Chihiro. "I thought that perfume was familiar… Hey! Does that mean you two are dating then?"

Kagura shrugged. "That was the plan up until she started crying."

"A-a date?" Chihiro perked up as she desperately swiped at her tears. "With Kagura-san?"

"Well, yeah," Kagura agreed. "I mean, if you wanted to."

"I want to!" Chihiro jumped up, her tears falling no longer.

Kaorin sighed as she looked at the strange duo. "I'm not even going to ask," she dismissed as she headed back to the door. "If you two hurry up you might beat Yukari-sensei back to the classroom." Only after closing the door behind her did the cat-girl realize that she had forgotten to ask the duo about Sakaki. With an exasperated sigh, she stopped back by the classroom to see if Sakaki had shown up while she was gone. While Yukari's absence indicated that she was still clearly lusting after Kei, Kaorin was much more interested in the fact that Sakaki was back. The cat-girl didn't even make it halfway to Sakaki's seat before the door to the classroom opened revealing a very, very unhappy Yukari.

"Seats! Now!" the irritable teacher barked as she stormed over to the podium.

Kaorin cursed her perpetually bad luck as she trudged back to her seat. _The fates must really, really hate me_, she lamented as she flopped over her desk.

Sakaki didn't know whether to be thankful that Yukari had distracted Kaorin from her approach or to spite her for it. Seeing the fuzzy-eared girl only reminded the tall girl of the picture Tomo had sent and revived the pain anew, but despite herself…damned if she didn't long to see the cat-girl. Just to talk to her. _What is wrong with me?_ She pondered her conflicting feelings as she kept her gaze locked on Kaorin.

Just a couple of hours ago, the tall girl was fully intent on staying home and wallowing in her sorrow. It took a gargantuan effort by both her mother and Naomi to get her out of the house and on the road to school. But now, now she found that, despite the crushing revelation that Kaorin was somehow romantically involved with Kagura, she still wanted to talk to Kaorin and be by her side. The tall girl suddenly stood up as she felt her emotions running out of her control again. "I don't feel well," she announced as soon as she was on her feet. "I'm going to the nurse."

"Fine, whatever," a still-sour Yukari allowed without ever turning away from the board.

Sakaki barely made it to the hall before tears again streamed down her cheeks. She wasn't even entirely sure why she was crying this time. As she turned to start for the nurse's office, she found the last person on the entire planet she ever wanted to see: Kagura. Unable to save face, Sakaki shoved her way past the athletic girl and made her way towards the nurse's office as fast as she could.

"Was that Sakaki-san?" Chihiro asked.

"Was she crying?" Kagura answered the question with another question. As the duo turned back around, Kagura spied the object of her scorn slinking towards the classroom from the opposite direction. "Tomo-chan!" she shouted. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Don't!" Chihiro pleaded as she tugged on Kagura's sleeve. "You'll get suspended!"

"Suspended?" Tomo scoffed, seemingly not even recognizing the fact that Chihiro was defending her. "Murder means jail time!"

"Shut up and get in here or I'll kill the lot of you!" Yukari shouted as she stuck her head out of the classroom.

* * *

As soon as first period ended and Yukari left to harass some other class, Kagura set her sights on Tomo. "You lying, two-faced bitch!"

"Hey! I never lied!" Tomo haughtily claimed.

"The whole damn school knows about that kiss! You promised you wouldn't say anything!"

Tomo held up her hands. "I didn't say anything!"

"You sent that picture to everyone!"

"But I didn't _say_ anything!"

"Do you have any idea what you've done!?" Kagura barked. "Kaorin might really get bullied because of you!"

Tomo pointed across the room with a rather unimpressed expression. "All it seems to have done is make her more popular."

Kagura followed Tomo's finger to find Kaorin tentatively accepting a letter from a girl from another class. "What the…?" The tomboy abandoned her argument with Tomo to go check out the anomaly. "What's that?" she asked as she walked up to the cat-girl.

"An anonymous letter," Kaorin explained as she read the note. "She said it was from a friend. The letter just says that they want to meet me on the roof at lunch today."

"You're sure it's not for me?" Kagura joked.

"Hmph," Kaorin sarcastically dismissed. "I'll have you know I got quite a bit of attention after… you know. But ever since your popularity exploded it's like everyone forgot about me."

"You gonna meet him?" Kagura asked. "Or her… I guess."

Kaorin shook her head. "I'm not interested," she dismissed as her gaze traced over to Sakaki's empty seat.

"You should at least turn them down, right?"

"Like you turn down everyone that sends you a letter?" the cat-girl quipped.

"Th-that's different," Kagura awkwardly defended herself. "I can't be in six places at once, twenty times a day."

Kaorin turned her attention to the wildcat. "I somehow doubt she's apologetic," she changed the subject as her curiosity got the better of her.

"Tch. That idiot would never be," Kagura scoffed. "It's a waste of time and she just wants the attention anyways. I'm gonna go talk to Chihiro until next class."

"Do you two even have that much in common?" Kaorin honestly asked.

"Do you and Sakaki?" Kagura asked rhetorically as she made a beeline for Chihiro's desk.

Kagura's words stung a bit, but she had more than proved her point. She turned her eyes back to Sakaki's desk as she felt a bit forlorn.

"Lover's spat?" Tomo's irritating voice brought Kaorin's glare to the infamous wildcat.

"Idiot!" Kaorin scolded. "We're not even a couple."

"I have a pic that says otherwise," Tomo taunted.

"Hmph, shows what you know," Kaorin admonished. "Kagura's dating Chihiro-chan, not me."

The wildcat's grin grew exponentially before she doubled over and pointed at Kaorin as she laughed derisively at her. "Ahahaha! You got dumped already!"

"Kagura didn't dump me!" Kaorin shouted loud enough to garner the entire class's attention.

Tomo snickered as she slunk away, leaving Kaorin to simmer. "So, you dumped Kaorin already. You sure do get around," she taunted Kagura as she appeared next to her and Chihiro.

As Kagura and Tomo fought, Kaorin had fallen silent as she came to a horrific realization. If everyone had gotten that picture from Tomo, then Sakaki must have gotten it, too. Even though Sakaki said she had forgiven her for the catnip induced kiss, this was a different matter entirely. It wasn't some drunken kiss that she couldn't even remember. It was the real deal. A real kiss—sort of—with another girl. What must Sakaki think of her now?! The memory of Sakaki's reaction to her greeting this morning flashed through her mind as dread filled her heart. _Oh no. No, no, no, no…_ she started to panic. She contemplated going to the nurse's office to confront Sakaki about it for all of a quarter of a second before she dismissed the urge out of cowardice and trepidation. _What am I going to do?_ She worried as she looked to Kagura. The tomboy wasn't about to be of any use to her. She was still busy fighting with Tomo with an ever-growing crowd of fans rooting her on. Before Kaorin had a chance to do anything, the teacher came in and ordered everyone back to their seats.

The pathetic little cat-girl spent the entire class period fretting over the situation. Making matters worse, Sakaki never returned from the nurse's office. By the time the next break occurred, Kaorin had worked herself into a tizzy. The second the teacher had left, Kaorin was at the side of her newest friend and confidant. "Kagura…" Kaorin pathetically greeted, on the verge of tears.

"Why-what now!?" Kagura recoiled.

"I-I think I might know what's gotten into Sakaki-san," Kaorin revealed.

Kagura relaxed as she leaned back in her chair wearing a somewhat irritated expression. "It better be good. I'm still pretty mad about this morning."

"It's the picture. Sakaki-san must've gotten it, too. She-she really must hate me now. The way Sakaki-san looked at me this morning…"

Kagura sighed as she waved a hand. "I don't think that's it," she dismissed. "Sakaki ran off this morning and she still ain't back. Probably went home."

"She… went to the nurses office, but Sakaki-san…" Kaorin hesitated as she realized that there had to be some truth to Kagura's sentiment.

"Are you talking about Sakaki-san crying earlier?" Chihiro joined the duo.

"Eh?" Kaorin squeaked, completely floored by the revelation. "Wh-what happened?"

Kagura just shrugged. "It looked like she was crying when me and Chihiro ran into her in the hall. I dunno what it's about, but I'm pretty sure it's not about a stupid picture."

That reassurance should have made Kaorin feel better, but for some reason the pressure of worry in her chest only seemed to amplify. Sakaki didn't hate her. Instead something else was weighing on the tall girl's mind. Something important enough to make the normally stoic girl weep. Kaorin looked to the classroom's door, utterly defeated. "Sakaki-san…"

* * *

Sakaki finally got chased out of the infirmary by the nurse shortly before lunch. The tall girl took her time trudging back to the classroom and once she was there, she walked in without a bit of fanfare. She didn't dare look towards the front of the room where Kimura was lecturing. Not because of her disdain for the perverted teacher, but because she didn't dare risk locking eyes with the cat-girl. Retrieving her classics book from her desk with nary a thought, she did little more than pretend to participate in class. A couple of minutes of mindlessly staring at the book and Sakaki was all but certain that any attention her entrance had garnered was gone. Peeking up from her book for the first time, she managed to spot those two fuzzy ears just as one of them twitched. As if sensing Sakaki's gaze, Kaorin began to turn and look back to her. In a desperate attempt to avoid being spotted, Sakaki ducked her head back under her book.

_What am I doing?_ Sakaki found herself wondering as she again dared to peek in Kaorin's direction. She could have sworn that as she looked up, Kaorin looked away. This game of stares continued up until the chime sounded, marking the beginning of lunch.

Of course, the first thing on Kaorin's mind was Sakaki. Turning to her idol, she found a very uninteresting sight. The tall girl was retrieving her bento from her bag. It was startlingly ordinary. In truth, the familiar sight brought some relief to the ailing cat-girl. It proved to be a rare moment of things being exactly the way they were supposed to be. With a relieved sigh, Kaorin reached into her own desk for lunch. As she pulled her hand free, she found a sheet of paper trapped between her grasping fingers and her bento. _Oh yeah…_ she recognized the paper as the invitation she had received earlier. The cat-girl cast one last glance at Sakaki before getting up and heading out of the room. _Sakaki-san probably doesn't want to be bothered,_ she justified her cowardice.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she found a boy sitting with half of his uniform shirt unbuttoned and a disdainful stare. "Um…are you…?" Kaorin gently prodded.

"Move along, stray," he spat.

Kaorin frowned at the insult as she stomped by and out onto the roof. As soon as the door closed behind Kaorin, the boy climbed to his feet and inserted a pin into a small hole on top of the door's bar. The pin disengaged the bar and it popped out of its secured position, engaging the one way lock for the door and sealing Kaorin out on the roof.

As the unwary cat-girl stepped out onto the roof, Kaorin found a whole lot of nothing. "Guess I'm the first one here," she muttered just as the sound of a shuffling footstep reached her sensitive ears. Of course, it didn't do the poor girl any good as she looked all around for where the source of the sound originated.

"Hey there, kitty-cat," a self-confident voice echoed.

Kaorin turned around to find that her secret admirer was none other than that wretched boy with a penchant for her. "Nagi-kun," she spat.

"Such a miserable face," Nagi taunted as he strutted towards the cat-girl with his hands in his pockets. "I think I can fix that," he claimed as he quickly withdrew a hand and threw a powder at Kaorin's face.

As the powder littered Kaorin's face, a pervasive scent pierced her nose. "Augh! Catnip?!" she coughed as she backpedalled into the door behind her. More than finished with this sinister rendezvous, she turned and tried the handle. _Locked?!_ her mind screamed as a demanding hand on her shoulder pulled her around to face Nagi.

"Now, where were we?" Nagi taunted as he closed the distance and held Kaorin against the door.

* * *

Even though she wasn't all that hungry, Sakaki gladly accepted the distraction that the humdrum act of eating lunch offered. However, the taciturn girl's appetite evaporated after the first couple of bites and her mind floated back to that thing she was trying so hard not to think about. It would seem that just going through the motions was far too mundane to manage to keep her mind off of Kaorin. When she looked up from her scarcely-touched bento, though, she found no signs of the fuzzy-eared girl. Begrudgingly, she turned her attention to her self-proclaimed rival. Kaorin wasn't there either. Instead, Kagura seemed to be eating with Chihiro.

"How are you feeling?" a concerned voice drew Sakaki's attention. The tall girl looked down to see a pink skirt on a petite pair of hips. Mentally kicking herself, Sakaki looked up to find Chiyo's face a lot higher than it should have been. "I was worried about you."

Sakaki sighed as she shook her head. "I'm… not sick," she claimed, unable to even convince herself of those words.

"Are you sure?" another voice drew Sakaki's attention to Yomi as she appeared next to Chiyo.

Instead of answering Yomi, or even pondering how she missed the brunette's approach, Sakaki asked the question plaguing her mind. "Where's Kaorin? She's not… with Kagura-san?" The tall girl had to bite her cheek as her inadvertent choice of words delivered a blow to her already fragile emotions.

Yomi groaned. "You've missed all the gossip sitting around in the nurse's office," she spat. "It's been one hell of a day." Yomi then pointed to Kagura and Chihiro. "Those two are officially a couple, for now at least. Turns out that Tomo-chan's picture came from some sort of practice date that Kagura-chan roped Kaorin into. The two of them apparently don't have any interest in each other at all."

"So… Kaorin?" Sakaki urged.

"Ah! I think she must've gone to the roof," Chiyo interjected. "She got a love-letter earlier!"

Yomi nodded, "That's right." As the duo turned their attention back to Sakaki, all they found was an empty seat. "Wha-where did she go?"

* * *

Sakaki's feet took her up the staircase to the roof with nary a thought. Only once she reached the top and came face-to-face with a vaguely familiar boy did she stop to actually think about what she was doing. It didn't even take her a second to conclude that her instincts were right. She was _not_ about to risk losing Kaorin again. Whatever it takes, by any means, she would not lose her again. With renewed resolve, she stormed the door amidst pitiful protests by the boy. Despite her vigor, the door did not yield to her. Redoubling her efforts, she took a step back and charged the door with all her might. This time the door gave way and Sakaki found herself stumbling out onto the roof.

"Son of a bitch!" a boy Sakaki barely recognized cursed as he pulled himself up off of the roof. "Can I never catch a break?"

"Bastard!" Kaorin quickly admonished, drawing Sakaki's attention to the cat-girl. She was standing near the door. "You're the worst!" she reproached him as she drew a sleeve across her mouth.

Instead of sticking around, Nagi pushed his way past Sakaki and pulled the door free from her limp grasp. "Don't think I've given up," he warned as he pulled the door closed behind him.

More than a little confused, Sakaki took in the sight of a slightly disheveled Kaorin. "Are you all right?"

Kaorin's tentative smile quickly faded as her eyes swelled with tears. "I'm so sorry!" she earnestly apologized.

"Eh?"

"When I-he kissed me… I never realized how bad something like that can be! It wasn't so bad when Tomo-chan did it, but that guy… and I did something like that to you!"

"It's not…" Sakaki tried to protest, only to be drowned out by Kaorin's fervent apology.

"I know you said that it didn't count, but it still must've made you feel awful!"

"Actually—"

"And I must've embarrassed you, too!" Kaorin continued, not even hearing Sakaki. "You must really hate me for—"

"I liked it!" Sakaki finally blurted out. Kaorin was instantly muted as she stared blankly back at Sakaki. As a dead silence crept in, Sakaki felt a heat in her face as she realized what she had just said. Unable to resist the urge to flee, the tall girl turned to the door and pulled on the handle. It clattered under her might, but refused to yield. _Locked!?_ she realized as she glanced back at the cat-girl.

Kaorin had already collapsed down into a sitting position as her strength failed her. She dazedly raised her hands up to her ears. "S-sorry," she hollowly apologized in a haze of disbelief. "These dumb things… I-sometimes I can't hear things right."

If Sakaki was ever going to back out, now was her best chance. Kaorin had practically handed her an excuse to take back her words. Sakaki closed her eyes a moment as the worry and pain of that photo flashed through her mind's eye. She wasn't going to go through that again. Those weren't just her words that she had confessed to Kaorin, but her feelings. She was not going to take them back—no matter what the consequences. The tall girl set a firm gaze on the cat-girl as she found her nerve. "Your kiss, I liked it," she confidently asserted. "It was soft, and warm. My heart raced, but I felt… calm. Content. I never felt like that before! It was… wonderful." As Kaorin just stared blankly at her, Sakaki bowed her head. "You aren't the one who should apologize. I shouldn't… have these feelings." The tall girl then took two steps over to Kaorin and offered her hand. "I like you. Please don't hate me for it."

Accepting Sakaki's outstretched hand, Kaorin tried to say something, anything, but could manage little more than an incoherent squeak. As soon as Sakaki pulled her to her feet, Kaorin discovered that her legs still did not work. Instead of falling back down, she fell into her idol who deftly caught her and held her up.

"A-are you all right?" Sakaki asked, her voice wavering just a bit as her confidence quickly evaporated.

Kaorin just stood there motionless, completely overwhelmed. She could feel her fervent heartbeat as she wondered if this was really happening or if it was a dream. It didn't take her long to decide that it didn't matter if it was a dream or not. It was just… perfect. She finally tried to reply as she relished in her feelings, but her voice simply refused her will. As she began to panic, she forcibly wrapped her arms around the taller girl and clutched her idol tightly as she drew in a lungful of air. "I like you, too!" she yelled out loud. Having finally found her voice she continued at a quieter volume, although her tone was just as sincere. "I've always liked you! For so long… Sakaki-san." She slackened her embrace as she looked up to Sakaki with a desperate and earnest expression. "I like you! I really like you, Sakaki-san!"

It was Sakaki's turn to be stunned senseless. Acting on her emotions, Sakaki fully wrapped her arms around the smaller girl instead of just holding her up. The normally stoic girl smiled as she felt Kaorin tighten the embrace as the cat-girl buried her face in her shoulder. "I'm glad," Sakaki earnestly admitted.

Kaorin merely squeaked in response as her voice again failed her. Before she could gather her wits enough to actually respond a loud "clack!" sounded followed by footsteps. "Uh… are we… interrupting something?"

Sakaki and Kaorin were standing innocuously side-by-side in an instant, although neither girl could will their blush away. "Y-Yomi-chan!" Kaorin found her voice as she spotted Yomi coming out onto the roof followed by Tomo.

"I was starting to worry about you," Yomi explained as she stepped away from the door and Tomo followed suit.

"Ah! Don't let the door close!" Sakaki warned as it began to swing shut.

As soon as Tomo heard the warning, the wildcat leapt at the door and slammed it shut. "Like this?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"Why would you…" Yomi ground out before cradling her head in her hand. "We're locked out here, aren't we?"

"Eh?" Tomo idiotically wondered as she tried the handle. "It's locked!"

"Why the hell do you automatically do what you're specifically told not to!?" Yomi raged. She then pointed to the fence surrounding the roof. "Don't jump off the roof!"

Tomo stared blankly at Yomi a moment before replying, "Well, duh."

"Graah!" Yomi shouted as she tackled Tomo.

"S-s-so," Kaorin stammered as Yomi grappled with Tomo. "Does this mean…I mean, are we… going out?"

Sakaki looked to Kaorin as she gave a firm nod.

Kaorin beamed in response, causing Sakaki to smile as well.

* * *

A/N: Originally, I had planned on having Kagura date someone else, but due to difficulties in reconciling that with the intended purpose of Kagura dating it was changed to Chihiro some time ago. That being said, Kagura and Chihiro won't be a major focus from here on out...obviously.


End file.
